Trinity Appoints Hellen Hom-Diamond as Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Communications

Melina Korfonta ’25

News Editor

President of the College Joanne Berger-Sweeney announced the appointment of Hellen Hom-Diamond as Trinity’s Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Communications in an email to the community on Thursday, Dec. 9. Hom-Diamond, who officially began her work last month  will “lead the development, articulation, and dissemination of Trinity’s mission, brand, and messaging to further the college’s strategic priorities.”  

Hom-Diamond joins Trinity from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. where she had served as the school’s Chief Communications Officer since 2018. At Sidwell Friends, Hom-Diamond was in charge of the school’s brand and reputation, leading advancement, campaign, and strategic plan communications. Hom-Diamond spent most of her career at Yale University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She served as the Director of Campus Communications at Yale and as the Director of Online Communications at UCLA’s Alumni Association.  Hom-Diamond also served as the Chief Communications Officer at The Hotchkiss School for five years. Hom-Diamond completed her bachelor’s degree in architecture at Columbia University. 

Hom-Diamond’s appointment comes ten months after her predecessor, Angela Schaeffer,  moved on from her position at Trinity to launch a strategic consultancy. Schaeffer remained at Trinity until the end of June allowing for “a smooth transition and to provide me with time to determine next steps regarding this important role”, according to an email from Berger-Sweeney sent on Apr. 14, 2021.  

Schaffer’s departure came at a time of high administrative turnover. Following Schaeffer’s departure Adrienne Oddi, former Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, left Trinity to serve as Vice President of Strategic Enrollment and Communications at Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. Other departures in recent years include: Angel Perez, Vice President for Student Success and Enrollment Management; Tim Cresswell, Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs; and  Melanie Stein, Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Mathematics.  

When questioned about the administrative turnover in July, Chief of Staff and Vice President for External Affairs Jason Rojas told the Tripod “Not sure what you are using as your baseline but it’s inaccurate to suggest that there have been ‘unprecedented departures’…We don’t see the recent transitions as being high turnover and when individuals do leave, it presents an opportunity to bring on new leaders and perspectives.”  

Many Trinity alumni a part of the Facebook group “Alumni For A Better Trinity College” argued at the time of Oddi’s departure that there are few administrators who truly appreciate the history of the College and are dedicated to improving its national rankings and reputation. Reacting to a copy of DiChristina’s email announcing Oddi’s departure, comments from alumni also called for the College to assign more Trinity graduates to administrative positions.