Candidate and customer experience, internal communications and process refinement, external messaging and brand support, employee education and engagement, and strategic planning — all rooted in equity and inclusion.
Define your inclusion ethos, develop a concrete plan, ignite and empower your people, and tell the world your story.
Candidate and customer experience, internal communications and process refinement, external messaging and brand support, employee education and engagement, and strategic planning — all rooted in equity and inclusion.
Define your inclusion ethos, develop a concrete plan, ignite and empower your people, and tell the world your story.
The Facts
-
Nearly 80% of employed adults* said they want to work for a company that values DEI issues.
-
Only a third* of them said their companies are doing a significant amount of work in this area.
*Sample size of 8233, according to an article based on CNBC|SurveyMonkey Workforce Survey in 2021.
Now let’s take a look at the incoming workforce:
83% of Gen-Zers said they consider an employer's commitment to diversity and inclusion when deciding where to work.*
75% of Gen-Zers would think twice before applying for a job at an organization if they weren't pleased with their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.*
*Source: Attracting and Retaining Gen-Z Through Diversity and Inclusion
Are you ready to do your part in making a better workplace for today and the future?
Let's work together!
Candidate Experience & Onboarding Processes
I specialize in helping clients conduct thorough audits and redesign their candidate journeys and new hire onboarding processes. These initial interactions serve as powerful statements about your culture. Let's make sure every touchpoint is crafted to engage newcomers in a meaningful way.
Recent Projects I’ve Completed in This Area:
I’ve swiftly audited and provided clear, forward-thinking, and actionable feedback on new employee onboarding for clients like August Public and Ideal Restoration.
I took great care in reimagining the new volunteer orientation experience and train-the-trainer sessions for Reading Partners, impacting an audience of over 10,000 annually.
“Her audit of our organization's people processes and communication resulted in measurable, significant improvement in our team's experience with the organization, and with candidates' experiences, too. Viva is smart, thoughtful, kind, caring, and also hilarious - qualities that everyone who worked with her valued, including me. Viva in your corner is what you want or need if you're looking for a people operations leader who can both raise the bar and tell you how to reach it.”
Christopher Goetz | President, Ideal Restoration
Internal & External Communications
In today's complex global landscape, leaders face unprecedented challenges. Strong and transparent communication practices are paramount, both internally within teams and externally with diverse stakeholder audiences. I specialize in assisting clients in reshaping their messaging strategies to be clear, resilient, and authentic, emphasizing candor, accountability, and optimism. This encompasses everything from drafting change management communications and leadership talking points, refining internal communication practices, crafting external statements, and developing a clear voice for high-impact employer brand initiatives.
Recent Projects I’ve Completed in This Area:
Audited course content and related training materials for renowned education providers like IDEO U and Reading Partners.
Collaborated with and coached senior leaders on education and action toward overarching employee engagement, retention, and well-being efforts, including internal communication strategies and meeting culture.
Drafted internal/external communications and suggested marketing materials and social media content updates for clients such as Magoosh, Ritual Vitamins, Extension Engine.
“It has been a true honor to collaborate with Viva over the past few years. She quickly established herself as a valued partner across our team and has made meaningful contributions in a wide range of areas. Her guidance, grounded in her expertise in DEI as well as the employer brand space, has had a direct impact on our learner experiences, course content, and communications. She worked with us to develop inclusion and belonging workshops for our team and shape a guide to inclusive language that has helped us weave DEI into our day-to-day work. We know we’ll continue to see the ripple effect of her work in the months and years to come.”
Joanna Augenbergs | Senior Content Lead, IDEO U
Dawn Taketa Riordan | Partner + Managing Director, IDEO U
Talent Development & Employee Education
Building modern workplaces means investing in a healthy and equitable future for all. This includes an ideal that—until now—has gone unaddressed: equipping individuals with inclusive leadership skills. That's why I design learning and development pathways with cultural awareness as a key pillar for everyone from entry-level hires to C-suite executives and board members. Through strategic educational initiatives and immersive experiences, I help all employees develop critical competencies that foster both personal empowerment and change-making organizational leadership.
Recent Projects I’ve Completed in This Area:
Through my moderating role at Harvard Business Publishing, I partnered with Healthfirst in facilitating a foundational management development program for three consecutive years. That’s a total of seven cohort groups, and approximately 600 participants in total. On average, survey results showed that about 90% of participants were either SATISFIED or VERY SATISFIED with how I engaged and involved them in the learning process.
I’ve developed custom 3-, 6-, or 12-month employee/volunteer education cohort offerings for Southern California Association of Governments, Port of Long Beach, Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, and Rebuilding Together San Francisco.
“I've had the pleasure of working with Viva for a year and a half. She coached our executive team in both 1:1 and small group sessions. The feedback from our execs has been that Viva has inspired them to be increasingly introspective and curious about learning more. She has facilitated real changes in attitudes and approaches, giving people tools to take on very uncomfortable conversations, and feel empowered in doing so."
Sara Axelbaum | Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity, MiQ
I intentionally designed and delivered group and individual inclusive leading coaching programs, with 80+ individual sessions conducted in 2021 with C-suite executives across the US, UK, Singapore, India, and Australia for global marketing firm, MiQ.
Dedicated Strategy Consulting
Kickstarting your internal DEI initiative and looking for personalized support? We'll partner to build a solid foundation, analyzing everything from culture and hiring strategies, to employee education and customer diversification - and we'll uplift your whole team in the process! Together, we'll build lasting impact through a long-term diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy for every layer of your organization.ithin teams and externally with diverse stakeholder audiences. I specialize in assisting clients in reshaping their messaging strategies to be clear, resilient, and authentic, emphasizing candor, accountability, and optimism. This encompasses everything from drafting change management communications and leadership talking points, refining internal communication practices, crafting external statements, and developing a clear voice for high-impact employer brand initiatives.
Recent Projects I’ve Completed in This Area:
I've conducted thorough assessments and analyses of existing cultures, producing detailed reports with insightful, actionable recommendations. Subsequently, I've implemented and communicated comprehensive inclusion and belonging strategies tailored to each client's specific mission, vision, and values. This approach has been successfully employed for clients such as Deschutes Public Library and the Rotary Club of Oakland.
"We had the great fortune of working with Viva at a time when our volunteer organization wanted to take a data-informed approach to strengthening equity in a comprehensive way. Viva was an incredible fit! She filled our time together with a positive bright energy that kept us on task in a compassionate, laser-focused, calm manner. She did an amazing job meeting us where we were in our organization's journey while helping us identify mechanisms and build skills that moved us forward. Together, we built a clear path and tangible next steps that members with contrasting ideas could align on."
Mary Geong | President, The Rotary Club of Oakland
Celeste Gordon | DEI Committee Chair, The Rotary Club of Oakland
Fractional Leadership Services Through Liberation Labs
With new and difficult budget constraints becoming a reality, our fractional leadership services help organizations keep the ball rolling and maintain a tangible investment in internal DEI efforts, employee retention and satisfaction, and cohesive, thoughtful internal communications. Together, Michael Gregor and I bring three decades of tried and true experience.
Example Roles and Areas of Focus:
-
Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
-
Head of Employee Engagement + Well-Being
-
Head of Leadership Development
-
Manager of Internal Communications
-
Manager of Employer Brand
“Viva’s approach to our team building was thoughtful, purposeful, results-oriented, and geared toward being sustainable. She had a tiered approach to getting to know our team and the current cadence of our team dynamic. She is open, constructive, a reflective listener, and intentional in her communication and recommendations. We have continued moving forward as a team incorporating elements we took away from our team-building experience. I feel fortunate we experienced Viva’s knowledge, care, and guidance.”
Sandy Witz | Director of HR at Port of Long Beach
