Vivian Liao

Principal

Vivian Liao is Co-Founder and Principal of Totem, overseeing operations, branding and narrative strategy, and project management. With a professional background that spans the fields of communications, community development, and strategic partnerships, Vivian helps direct Totem’s inclusive approach to support and expand affordable housing, job creation, and economic opportunity in underserved neighborhoods.

Having previously served in nonprofit and public sector positions, Vivian has a deep grasp of public private partnerships and is always on the lookout for ways to leverage private sector solutions to maximize community benefits. At Totem’s Atlantic Ave project in Bedford-Stuyvesant, for instance, Vivian worked to create an impact fund that will empower residents in the building to provide grants to local nonprofits.

Vivian previously served as Chief of Staff and Managing Director of Programs + Partnerships at the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, where she developed and implemented the narrative strategy positioning Downtown Brooklyn as one of the most vibrant downtowns in the nation. This included creation of the organization’s Webby award-winning website and year-round programming, including signature entrepreneurship events like the Make It in Brooklyn pitch contests. She also worked with local organizations to forge innovative partnerships such as a first-of-it-kind academic consortium aimed at strengthening the talent pipeline between higher education and industry located in the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.

Vivian started her career in public affairs, with roles at global public relations firm, Edelman; the New York City Economic Development Corporation; and NY1 News, producing the political broadcast Inside City Hall.

Vivian holds a B.A. from the University of Puget Sound, graduating the top student in the Business Administration department, but she considers herself a storyteller at heart. While obtaining an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Colorado, she taught undergraduate courses, worked as a criminal defense investigator, and wrote a historical novel based on the life of her grandfather, a chef who worked for notable figures in China, Taiwan, Iran, and the American Southwest. She serves on the board of Brooklyn Org and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.