Optimal Trust

Stuart Samuel Diamond, Founder

Stuart Diamond is the creator of the Optimal Trust framework — a lens that transforms trust from an abstract virtue to a measurable, dynamic force that influences every human system—from personal relationships to global economies. It bridges philosophy, psychology, and data science to position trust as the most valuable and often overlooked metric of human progress. Optimal Trust shows how trust forms, fails, and can be repaired,  helping organizations see what is working, what is broken, and what to change.

Drawn from more than two decades of hands-on experience as a co-founder of Empowered Media, Diamond’s insights bridge theory and practice. Working at the leading edge of the early internet, Empowered developed some of the first enterprise systems, SaaS products, and large-scale digital content platforms, before these categories were widely recognized. During this period, Diamond worked directly with CEOs and leading thinkers to help organizations turn emerging technologies into durable strategic and cultural advantage.

Collaborators included major defense contractors, international human rights organizations, and top Fortune 500 companies. He also consulted with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on counterterrorism strategy, designed educational programs for Wall Street focused on trust and the financial system, and co-produced The National Physician of the Year Awards, working closely with leading medical researchers and scientists. These experiences—at the intersection of technology, ethics, and institutional pressure—form the practical foundation from which Optimal Trust emerged.

Diamond also draws deeply on his professional experience in music, visual arts, and academia, applying these disciplines to the design of social and organizational systems. He holds degrees in Music (Honors) and Philosophy from Haverford College (Phi Beta Kappa) and an M.F.A. from Sarah Lawrence College, and has served as a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. Across decades and domains, his work reflects a single throughline: making trust visible, actionable, and central to human and institutional flourishing.