Diane Hessan is an award-winning market researcher and innovator, a seasoned board director, and a nationally recognized expert on the American voter. She serves on the boards of Panera Brands, Eastern Bank, Brightcove, Sago, and the NACD New England Chapter.In 2021, she was elected to NACD's Directorship 100^™ and was appointed to a special global committee to study the impact of technology on industry. In 2023, she was inducted into the Market Research Hall of Fame. She is the founder and chair of C Space, the first company to leverage social media to help companies get insight and inspiration from their consumers. From 2016 to 2021, she conducted an in-depth, longitudinal study of the electorate, leading to 50+ columns about her findings for the Boston Globe and culminating in her book, Our Common Ground. She recently launched a new company, Salient Ventures.