Vivien Li

Vivien Li is a nationally recognized waterfront and climate expert, having most recently served as President and CEO of Riverlife, where she worked with Pittsburgh's riverfront property owners to ensure public access and open spaces, as well as riverfront amenities such as public rest rooms and electric vehicle charging stations. She was key in securing unanimous city council support for the first-ever interim planning overlay district for riverfront re-development.

Previously, Vivien headed The Boston Harbor Association for more than two decades, where her advocacy resulted in funding for the restoration of Boston Harbor beaches, preservation of a viable Working Port, and completion of more than a 42-mile HarborWalk public access system. It was at The Boston Harbor Association (now known as Boston Harbor Now) that she was recognized as a Barr Fellow in 2005. While serving and then chairing the Boston Conservation Commission, she was a strong proponent of ecological protection and restoration. Early on, Vivien focused public attention on climate change by initiating the first Boston Harbor Sea Level Rise Forum in 2010, and subsequently served on Boston's Green Ribbon Commission and co-chaired the advisory committee for the City of Boston's 2014 Climate Action Plan.

Vivien is a frequent speaker on climate resilience and development of urban waterfronts, and her oral history, including details of her early involvement in environmental justice, is scheduled to be released by the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley in April, 2025.

Besides serving as a mayoral appointee to the Boston Municipal Lobbying Compliance Commission which ensures good governance and greater transparency in lobbying activities on the municipal level, Vivien is a trustee of Barnard College, Columbia University, a member of Princeton School of Public and International Affairs' Advisory Council, and a member of the national Sierra Club's Investment Advisory Committee. Vivien also volunteers at local soup kitchens and food pantries in an effort to help address food insecurity as a result of climate change.

Vivien is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including an honorary degree from Allegheny College, recognition by Eastern Bank Foundation in 2023 as one of Boston's 25 Most Influential Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and as an honorary member of the Boston Society of Architects. A long-time Boston resident, she has degrees from Barnard College and Princeton University.