As president of the General Motors Foundation and director of Corporate Relations for General Motors Company, Vivian R. Pickard is responsible for leading the company’s efforts to strengthen communities across the United States through partnerships and investments in the areas of education, health and human services, the environment and community development. Over the past decade, the GM Foundation has donated $265 million to send students to college, educate parents on child passenger safety, promote diversity and support vital non-profit organizations.
A community advocate and philanthropist, Ms. Pickard currently serves on the board for The Memorial Foundation, Inc., Habitat for Humanity International, Friends of African and African American Art (Detroit Institute of Arts), Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation, The Parade Company, Fifth Third Bank - Eastern Michigan, Council of Michigan Foundations, CultureSource, Trumpet Awards Foundation, St. John Providence Health System and the Sphinx Organization.
Ms. Pickard is a member of the National Urban League’s National Employer Advisory Council, is an officer for the Detroit Economic Club, a member of the Executive Leadership Council and serves on the Executive Committee for The Links, Inc. She is the Immediate Past-President for The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. and Immediate Past-Board Chair of Inforum.
Widely recognized for her dedication to community service, Ms. Pickard received the Global Community Award at the 2014 North American International Auto Show Multicultural Media Luncheon. She also received special recognition from the Rhonda Walker Foundation in 2013 for her commitment to philanthropy, received the 2013 Women of Achievement Award from Michigan Women’s Foundation, the Arab American and Chaldean Council’s 2013 Community Leadership Award, Savoy Magazine’s 2012 Top Influential Women in Corporate America Award, the 2011Rainbow PUSH Bridge Builder Award, the 2011 Alpha Award of Honor from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., was a 2010 Inforum Inner Circle Honoree and was given the 2009 Women of Excellence Award by the Michigan Chronicle.
A long-time GM employee, Ms. Pickard has held several key roles within the company, including administrative and management positions within the Finance, Human Resources and Public Policy functions.
Born and raised in Sturgis, Mississippi, and then moving to Flint, Michigan, Ms. Pickard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services Administration from Ferris State University and a Masters in Business Administration from Central Michigan University. 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.
