Project Description

Vivian Greentree, Ph.D.

SVP, Corporate Citizenship

 

Vivian Greentree, Ph.D., is a Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Citizenship at First Data Corporation, where she is charged with overseeing the strategy and implementation of philanthropic, diversity and inclusion, social responsibility, responsible sourcing, and sustainability efforts. Before assuming this role, Vivian joined First Data as the Head of Military and Veteran Affairs in February 2014. In that role Vivian created First Data Salutes, a company-wide military engagement strategy to provide the military community with access to career opportunities and best-in-class education resources, while offering premier business solutions to veteran-owned businesses. While at First Data, Vivian has increased the number of military-affiliated new hires from 1% to over 10%, has won several national awards based on innovative programming and outcomes, and launched the Center of Excellence for Veteran Entrepreneurship in partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, a national platform that leverages private sector resources and networks to support veteran owned business through entrepreneurship education and training, small business products and solutions, and opportunities for commerce.  In recognition of the First Data Salutes success under Vivian’s leadership, in 2017 First Data was ranked #1 on Military Times’ Best for Vets: Employers.

 

Before joining First Data, Vivian helped to found Blue Star Families, the largest chapter-based military support organization in the country, where she most recently served Director of Research and Policy. While at BSF, Vivian created and oversaw BSF’s groundbreaking Military Family Lifestyle Survey, which examines a broad spectrum of issues affecting modern-day military families and included a military community civic health index. The survey was referenced in Presidential Directive-9 “Strengthening Our Military Families,” the precursor to the Obama Administration’s Joining Forces initiative and continues to be cited in military policy discussions nationally.

 

She is also the creator of the Blue Star Spouse Employment Toolkit, the first of its kind military spouse employment resource, written and tested based on the unique career needs of military spouses. The Spouse Employment Toolkit has since evolved into a suite of military spouse professional development initiatives known as Blue Star Careers, including educational, employment, and mentoring programming and has been adapted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce into an online military spouse resume engine, Career Spark.

Before joining BSF, Vivian served as a Supply Corps officer in the Navy, on active duty and in the Reserves. After serving in the Navy, she used her G.I. Bill to attain her Ph.D. in Public Administration and Urban Policy from Old Dominion University, where she earned several awards, including Ph.D. Outstanding Student of the Year, Phi Kappa Phi, The Pindur and the Ted Constant Scholarships, and a University Fellowship.  She holds a masters degree from the University of Maryland University College and undergraduate degrees in Journalism and Public and International Affairs from the University of Georgia.

 

Vivian’s research on civic engagement, the military community, and public policy has been published in peer-reviewed journals like Public Administration Review and the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, along with mainstream media outlets. She has appeared as a subject matter expert on panels, advisory boards, conferences, and national media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, and NPR. And, she is a Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University and a member of Cerner’s VA Military Advisory Group.

In 2012, Vivian was named a Daily Point of Light by the Points of Light Institute for recognition of her volunteer work and a “Top 40 Under 40” alumni by the University of Georgia’s Alumni Association. In 2013, she was appointed to the University of Georgia’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and designated as an Ally Spouse by the Military Partners and Families Coalition.

 

A strong supporter of civic engagement, Vivian serves on the selection committee for the prestigious Lincoln Awards and is the Quality of Life Sub-Committee chair for the Virginia Military Advisory Council, a position she was appointed to by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2014. Vivian is married to a Naval Officer and they have two little boys, ages 11 and 13.

 

Short Bio:

 

Vivian Greentree, Ph.D., is a Senior Vice President and Head of Global Corporate Citizenship at First Data Corporation, where she is oversees the strategy and implementation of First Data’s philanthropic, diversity and inclusion, social responsibility, responsible sourcing, and sustainability efforts. Before assuming this role, Vivian joined First Data as the Head of Military and Veteran Affairs in February 2014. In that role Vivian created First Data Salutes, a company-wide military engagement strategy to provide the military community with access to career opportunities and best-in-class education resources, while offering premier business solutions to veteran-owned businesses.

 

In recognition of First Data’s success under Vivian’s leadership, in 2017 First Data was ranked #1 on Military Times’ Best for Vets: Employers. A U.S. Navy veteran and military spouse, Dr. Greentree helped found Blue Star Families, the largest chapter-based military support organization in the country, where she served as director of research and policy.