Diana Pinckley has spent her career developing public relations strategies and marketing communications tools, primarily for higher education. As head of Tulane University’s public relations office for a dozen years, she guided a staff of 15 in building successful marketing, public relations and communications strategies, with particular focus on admission and fundraising. She began her own communications consultancy, Pinckley Inc., in 1993, and has been a strategic partner with Zehno (and its forebears) since then.

A renowned spotter of young talent, she gave both Paulette and Kathy their first jobs in the New Orleans market when she was at Tulane. Diana specializes in strategic public relations planning (including communications audits); concept and writing for periodicals, publications, electronic media and Web sites; media relations strategies; and crisis communication advice.

She is an enthusiastic and sympathetic community booster, serving on the boards of several organizations covering women’s issues, children’s issues, and rebuilding post-Katrina New Orleans. Her pro bono work has led her to top-five national recognition for a Web site and an audio CD in the last year; she was selected one of 50 “Women of the Year” by Citybusiness in 2006.

 An honors English graduate of Duke University, she writes a regular mystery book review column in the New Orleans Times Picayune and is author of New Orleans: River Region Renaissance, a Portrait of the Crescent City published in 1996.