With a professional background spanning the fields of community development, public affairs, and strategic partnerships, Vivian Liao is always on the lookout for ways to leverage private sector solutions to maximize community benefits in support of affordable housing, job creation, and economic opportunity. She sees the expanded Ailanthus platform as a way to focus on one of the greatest equity challenges facing the city – housing access – and bring to bear the team’s community-centered approach to achieve truly impactful, inclusive development.

She co-founded Totem in 2017 and continues to oversee the firm’s advisory work and operations. From 2012 to 2016, she 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. 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, where she graduated 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.