Vien Truong
Vien Truong is a nationally recognized expert on sustainability strategies, with two decades of leadership across the public, private, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors. She advises lawmakers, Fortune 500 companies, universities, and foundations on climate strategy, equity-centered policy, and stakeholder engagement.
Vien’s expertise has shaped national and international platforms. Vien previously led Nike’s Global Sustainability Engagement team, where she led cross-matrix efforts connecting sustainability strategies with business objectives, stakeholder engagement, and key moments across global markets. Her team led efforts included driving the sustainability target setting processes, launching a climate resilience fund, the Transform to Net Zero Alliance – a cross-sector initiative with Danone, HSBC, Maersk, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Natura & Co, Starbucks, Unilever, and Wipro. Her team also facilitated industry wide efforts to accelerate textile recycling, supporting athlete engagements on sustainability, and forming and managing both the internal and external stakeholders to keep Nike at the forefront of climate leadership and innovation.
Before Nike, Vien served as Senior Advisor to Tom Steyer’s political action committee and presidential campaign, co-authoring key elements of his marquee climate platform. During the 2020 U.S. election cycle, she was a key lead in supporting the Biden-Harris Climate Engagement Advisory Council, shaping outreach strategies in partnership with labor unions, former and future White House cabinet leaders, investors, and sustainability leaders. She also advised California’s COVID-19 Recovery Task Force on climate and economic strategies, especially in vulnerable communities.
As former President and CEO of Dream Corps, Vien oversaw the organization’s efforts with diverse coalitions—tech leaders, policymakers, celebrities and influencers, and impacted communities—to pass historic legislation and create innovative programs in climate, criminal justice, and democracy.
Vien has shaped dozens of laws, including landmark policies driving billions in public investments for energy, clean transportation, and community development. She co-led the coalition that secured California’s California Climate Investments fund and helped pass Charge Ahead California, accelerating the transition to electric vehicles nationally while reinforcing transportation democracy. Vien has played a pivotal role in designing landmark climate policies, including securing cap-and-trade investments for frontline communities and passing legislation to expand clean transportation access in California. Her work continues to be widely referenced by universities, NGOs, governments, and industry leaders in shaping strategies and policies.
Vien’s impact has been featured in numerous press outlets, including as one of the Top Women Leaders of San Francisco by the San Francisco Chronicle. She was honored as a White House Champion of Change and was profiled in NYT bestsellers Beyond the Messy Truth and Brown is the New White for her transformative policy work.
At Harvard, Vien explores the business case for investing in community climate solutions. Her work looks at integrating climate risk and sustainability solutions into business resilience, governance, investment, and community outcomes. Her work explores how disclosure, climate risk governance, and community-led solutions can converge to unlock resilient, inclusive economies. She collaborates with faculty and financial leaders to develop models for transition finance and place-based investment strategies.
The Salata Institute
The Salata Institute supports interdisciplinary research that leads to real-world action, including high-risk/high-reward projects by researchers already working in the climate area and new endeavors that make it easier for Harvard scholars, who have not worked on climate problems, to do so. Faculty interested in the Climate Research Clusters program should note an upcoming deadline for concepts on April 1, 2024.