“In the early 80’s, when I was 16, my parents brought me to China to reunite with family they hadn’t seen in over 30 years. It was a wake up to be immersed in my cultural heritage, not to be a ‘minority,’ and to encounter a radically different society and government. Returning to the U.S., I began questioning how racism and inequity perpetuate here and imagining social transformation. I greatly appreciate the last twenty years of working and learning with social change movements, organizations and leaders to create a peaceful and just world.”

 Viveka Chen is an organizational development consultant, certified coach, facilitator and leadership trainer with a commitment to cultural competency and a strength-based approach.

She specializes in designing and implementing capacity and movement building and leadership development initiatives, strategic visioning and planning, building multi-stakeholder collaboration, and facilitation of change processes including leadership transition. Viveka also offers coaching to organizations through coaching with individual leaders and teams, training staff in peer coaching and communication skills, and establishing learning communities. In early 2012 she and a group of certified coaches founded Coaching for Justice (C4J) (www.coachingforjustice.org) to increase access to high-quality coaching for social change leaders and non-profit staff.

Prior to consulting, Viveka was Executive Director of the East Bay Conversion & Reinvestment Commission (a collaborative of 38 stakeholders planning the conversion of Alameda County military bases to community serving resources) and Associate Director of the environmental justice organization Urban Habitat. She enjoys a wide range of established relationships with leaders and organizations across a spectrum of sectors including community-based organizations, grassroots base-building groups, labor, coalitions, intermediaries, legal organizations, environmental organizations, government, academic institutions, and funders.

Viveka has played a key role in several regional, state, and national scale field-building initiatives in collaboration with organizations such as the Movement Strategy Center, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She brings a depth of experience designing and facilitating convenings that bring together leaders working on common issues seeking to build networks, movement and impact.

Viveka is a Buddhist meditation teacher with a steady, open, and compassionate presence who can readily weave spirit into work with clients.

Viveka currently resides in Northern California.