Vivian Greentree (ABJ ’00, AB ’01) leads through service

The University of Georgia has a rich tradition of public service and outreach. As the state’s land- and sea-grant institution, UGA has established outreach programs in almost every Georgia county and provides numerous service programs that benefit the region. It is this mission and the university’s pillar of service that attracted Vivian Greentree (ABJ ’00, AB ’01) to help cultivate a relationship between her employer, Fiserv, and UGA.

As an alumna, Vivian credits the university for instilling a service-oriented mentality in her everyday life, as well as in her career. As Fiserv’s Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Citizenship and President of the Fiserv Cares Foundation, Vivian is charged with cultivating a high performing, culture of belonging while building meaningful community partnerships. By leveraging Fiserv’s resources as a private sector business, she creates purposeful opportunities for the betterment of the community—and the world—in which Fiserv interacts.

Vivian recalls that her time as a student made her realize the amount of resources the state and its citizens were investing in Georgia students. She understood the importance of the HOPE Scholarship in affording her the opportunity to attend UGA with financial assistance and valued the state’s ability to provide Georgia students with scholarships. By interning with Georgia Governor Roy Barnes’ administration, her appreciation for public service grew. After graduating from UGA, she demonstrated her passion for service by joining the U.S. Navy and serving in the Supply Corps.

Vivian served as a Naval Supply Corps Officer on both active duty and in the Reserves before founding Blue Star Families, a network of volunteer-based chapters committed to strengthening military families by connecting them with their neighbors – individuals and organizations – to create vibrant communities of mutual support and advocacy. At the same time Vivian worked to help this network support, connect, and empower military families, she utilized her GI Bill to earn a doctorate in public administration and urban policy from Old Dominion University while her husband was stationed out of Naval Station Norfolk.

Vivian was leading Research and Policy for Blue Star Families when she was recruited to First Data Corporation. She was tasked with creating a comprehensive military community engagement program that would eventually be named First Data Salutes. It focused on helping transitioning service members find meaningful careers within fintech or as entrepreneurs.

As the head of Military and Veteran Affairs at First Data Corporation, Vivian worked with the University of Georgia to establish a lounge in the UGA Student Veterans Resource Center and support the UGA chapter of Student Veterans of America. The First Data Student Veterans Lounge provides a place for veterans at UGA to network, study, relax, and access valuable resources to help them succeed at the university and in their careers afterwards.

Vivian’s success with First Data Salutes garnered national recognition and awards for First Data. They were ranked at the top of the Military Times’ Best For Vets: Employers list for 2017, 2018, and 2019 and created an Office of Corporate Citizenship, coordinating associate and community engagement, diversity and inclusion, and strategic philanthropy across the enterprise. And, when Fiserv and First Data merged in July 2019, she was given a larger platform to carry out the mission of doing good while doing well.

Service remains at the heart of her commitment to her alma mater—she knows both Fiserv and UGA’s missions are committed to excellence in service. In the fall of 2020, Vivian and Fiserv will be supporting UGA’s Entrepreneurship Program, working to provide resources and opportunities for the university’s next generation of Bulldog leaders that will make an impact in the state of Georgia long after graduation.

Vivian is an exemplary Bulldog: She served on the UGA Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2013-2019; she is currently serving on the School of Public and International Affairs Alumni Board of Directions; and she approaches every interaction through the lens of service and models her work on Georgia’s three pillars of wisdom, justice, and moderation.

As she reflects fondly on her time at UGA, she encourages students to be consciously inclusive and to go out of their way to be an includer. She strongly believes higher education is a place for diversity to take root and provide opportunities for people to learn from one another.

“Business should be and can be a force for good and we have the opportunity and the obligation to use our space and place to create and expand access, so we can be better together,” said Vivian. “I’m so proud of my UGA affiliation and will continue to earn the opportunity that was afforded to me through the HOPE scholarship by paying it forward to today’s students in every way I can!”