Vivian Pickard is an accomplished Fortune 500 Executive with expertise in business development, strategic planning, corporate & community relations, finance, marketing, public policy, health care and philanthropic endeavors. She serves as President & CEO of the Pickard Group where she advises Fortunate 500 companies, private corporate CEO’s, non-profit CEO’s and chamber of commerce organizations. She was appointed by Governor Whitmer to serve on the Women’s Commission for the State of Michigan. She was previously appointed by Governor Snyder to serve as one of five members of the Medical Marijuana Board for the State of Michigan, which ended April 2019. Vivian’s depth of knowledge and experience in developing strategy and overseeing giving efforts in the areas of education, health, human services, the environment, and community development led to General Motors philanthropic leadership on a national and international level. Vivian’s exemplary leadership over the last 20 years has led to multiple partnerships and investments that have helped change lives, influence communities, improve the environment and most importantly, establish General Motors as an international philanthropic leader. Her ability to combine her corporate and community relations with partnership development has contributed to her success.
Most recently, as President, General Motors Foundation and Director, Corporate Relations, Vivian was responsible for all of General Motors’ giving, the development of the strategic plan for the Foundation and corporate giving, and an annual budget of over $42 M. During her tenure in this position, she significantly brought strategy and impact to GM’s overall giving and cause related marketing. Further, Vivian increased General Motors’ “Share of Voice” in the automotive field to 58% of overall automotive media which generated vehicle sales. She was also a member of General Motors’ Diversity Council and partnered with GM’s global business units as an advisor.
Vivian serves as an active member of Fifth Third Bank – Eastern Michigan.
As a community advocate and philanthropist, Vivian serves on numerous boards including: Inforum, The Parade Company, National Cares Mentoring Movement, Trumpet Awards Foundation, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Sphinx Organization, as well as the Black Women’s Agenda. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, Women Corporate Directors, the International Women’s Forum and she serves on the Executive Committee for The Links, Inc., as well as participates as a Board Member of The Links Foundation. Her previous roles include past President of The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc., and past Board Chair of Inforum, a highly acclaimed professional women’s alliance.
Vivian is widely known and well respected for her dedication to community service. Her accomplishments have been acknowledged by the many awards she has received including: the Spirit of the Dream Award from the United Negro College Fund, Driven’s Philanthropic Pioneer Award, and Multicultural Media Award for Global Community Leadership. Vivian was honored with The Charles H. Moore Award for Leadership in Cooperate Community Engagement from CECP, she was recognized as one of 25 Influential Black Women In Business, by The Network Journal. Vivian was also presented with the Role Model Award by Alternatives for Girls. Vivian was named one of the 50 Most Powerful African Americans in Southeast Michigan (POWER 50-Michigan Chronicle), while she also received the Diversity Business Leader Award from Corp! Magazine, as well as the Global Community Award at the North American International Auto..
A long-term General Motors’ employee, Vivian has held multiple key roles within the organization including management positions within Finance, Health Care, Human Resources, and Public Policy functions. She served over ten years on the corporate staff of GM’s Health Care Department where she had responsibility for developing and overseeing health care programs and initiatives for hourly and salaried employees, working with carriers and unions on reducing health care expenses, and negotiating health care contracts for hourly and salaried employees.
Vivian earned her Masters of Business Administration degree in Personnel Management from Central Michigan University, while also holding a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services Administration from Ferris State University. She received an honorary doctorate from Ferris State University in 2016 and was named Alumni of the Year in 2015. She is a lifetime member of the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Black MBA Association, and is a graduate of Leadership Detroit Class XVII.
