Diane James was named the first full-time executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group in April 2013. Her career as a seasoned association professional has included numerous positions as the chief executive for associations and nonprofit organizations as well as two years as director, Executive Leadership Services for Association Strategies, an executive search, transition, and organization development firm, where she provided consulting and search services to a variety of association clients. Her expertise in governance, financial management, volunteer relations, and strategic development is widely known in the association community, and she has been a leading speaker, writer, and presenter on numerous facets of association leadership and management. Diane served as the CEO of the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) Foundation in 2010 after serving as the WTS Association's executive director for nearly four years. Previously, she was executive director of Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, Women in Cable Telecommunications, and Georgia Society of Association Executives, and was the vice president for Strategic Alliances for the American Society of Association Executives.

She is frequently tapped by volunteer boards to assist as a consultant on executive transitions, staffing, management, and strategic planning. She achieved the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 1997 and was named a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives in 2007. Diane speaks and writes frequently on topics of diversity, workforce development, leadership, governance, finance, administration, technology, and human resources. She has been a featured presenter on specific industry issues in transportation, cable telecommunications, and health care. She conducts workshops and planning sessions for associations and serves on the board of a Washington, D.C.–based youth development organization, Spark the Wave, which holds leadership service camps at Villanova and Georgetown universities.

Diane holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and human resource management from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.