Overview
- Gain valuable insights from climate expert Vivien Li’s journey and experience in environmental advocacy and public access, all while enjoying an intimate dinner with other young professionals.
- Discover pivotal moments in Vivien Li’s career and learn how her initiatives have transformed Boston’s shoreline to preserve public access.
- Get the details on Vivien’s waterfront revitalization efforts, including the creation of the HarborWalk trail and cleaner beaches.
Tickets
- Individual Ticket: $35 (Member & Non-member)
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Get Inspired. Be Empowered.
Nationally recognized environmental and climate expert, Vivien Li, has been instrumental in transforming the Boston Harbor waterfront into a vibrant community space. Her notable achievements include championing the creation of the 41-mile HarborWalk trail and spearheading efforts that have resulted in cleaner beaches. Her advocacy has significantly contributed to preserving public access and revitalizing the city’s shoreline. Li’s visionary initiatives have fundamentally changed how residents engage with and perceive Boston’s waterfront.
Join us for an engaging conversation with Vivien Li as she delves into the pivotal moments of her career as a climate expert. Discover how her transformative work continues to inspire the ways we interact with and appreciate the city of Boston.
City Awake’s Words of Wisdom series brings a senior leader to a small group of young professionals for a conversation about the incredible milestones they have observed in their career. It is a space for young professionals to ask questions about the leader’s experience and learn from their journey.
ABOUT CITY AWAKE
City Awake is the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s premier young professional platform that awakens and empowers the city’s next generation of thought leaders and change makers who are navigating Boston’s business, civic, and cultural communities.
Join us for an engaging conversation with Vivien Li as she delves into the pivotal moments of her career as a climate expert. Discover how her transformative work continues to inspire the ways we interact with and appreciate the city of Boston.
City Awake’s Words of Wisdom series brings a senior leader to a small group of young professionals for a conversation about the incredible milestones they have observed in their career. It is a space for young professionals to ask questions about the leader’s experience and learn from their journey.
ABOUT CITY AWAKE
City Awake is the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s premier young professional platform that awakens and empowers the city’s next generation of thought leaders and change makers who are navigating Boston’s business, civic, and cultural communities.
Questions? Contact Us.
Jessica Sanon
Senior Program Manager
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Speakers
Vivien Li
Commission Member, Boston Municipal Lobbying Compliance Commission
Vivien Li is a nationally recognized environmental and climate expert, having been President and CEO of Riverlife, where she worked with Pittsburgh’s riverfront…Read more
Vivien Li is a nationally recognized environmental and climate expert, having been President and CEO of Riverlife, where she worked with Pittsburgh’s riverfront property owners to ensure public access and open spaces, and public amenities such as public rest rooms and electric charging stations.
Previously, Vivien headed The Boston Harbor Association for more than two decades, where her advocacy resulted in a cleaner Boston Harbor, enhanced Boston Harbor Beaches for urban residents, an active Working Port, and a 43-mile HarborWalk public access system with amenities for the public to enjoy. Years before Super Storm Sandy in 2012, Vivien convened the first-ever Boston Harbor Sea Level Rise Forum to create awareness and action on climate change.
Vivien’s activism started in high school during the first Earth Day in 1970, and has been documented in an oral history recently released by UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library. She has an honorary doctorate from Allegheny College in PA, and degrees from Barnard College, Columbia University, and Princeton University.
Vivien serves as a trustee of Barnard College, a member of Princeton School of Public and International Affairs’ Advisory Council, a member of the national Sierra Club’s Investment Advisory Committee, and on the Boston Municipal Lobbying Compliance Commission. A long-time Boston resident, Vivien volunteers weekly at local soup kitchens and food pantries to help address food insecurity as a result of climate change.
Previously, Vivien headed The Boston Harbor Association for more than two decades, where her advocacy resulted in a cleaner Boston Harbor, enhanced Boston Harbor Beaches for urban residents, an active Working Port, and a 43-mile HarborWalk public access system with amenities for the public to enjoy. Years before Super Storm Sandy in 2012, Vivien convened the first-ever Boston Harbor Sea Level Rise Forum to create awareness and action on climate change.
Vivien’s activism started in high school during the first Earth Day in 1970, and has been documented in an oral history recently released by UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library. She has an honorary doctorate from Allegheny College in PA, and degrees from Barnard College, Columbia University, and Princeton University.
Vivien serves as a trustee of Barnard College, a member of Princeton School of Public and International Affairs’ Advisory Council, a member of the national Sierra Club’s Investment Advisory Committee, and on the Boston Municipal Lobbying Compliance Commission. A long-time Boston resident, Vivien volunteers weekly at local soup kitchens and food pantries to help address food insecurity as a result of climate change.
Julie Eaton Ernst
Climate Resilience Practice Leader, HNTB Corporation
Julie Eaton Ernst is HNTB’s Climate Resilience Practice Leader based out of Boston, MA. She is a licensed professional civil engineer (MA #54968), and her background…Read more
Julie Eaton Ernst is HNTB’s Climate Resilience Practice Leader based out of Boston, MA. She is a licensed professional civil engineer (MA #54968), and her background in geotechnical and dam safety engineering and more than 10 years of experience in industry underpins her specialized ability to navigate the uncertainty associated with climate change and complex systems to identify cost-effective and equitable solutions that can adapt over time.
Julie actively supports public sector clients across the United States with implementing resilience programs and policies and delivering resilient solutions. Julie has led multiple award-winning projects that have set standards for resilient transportation planning and design, including the ResilientMass Action Team (RMAT) Statewide Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool and Boston’s Climate Resilience Design Guidelines for protecting rights-of-way.
Julie is a published subject matter expert, including writing “Case Study 3 – From Molasses to Sea Level Rise: Boston’s North End” in Climate Change and the Built Environment, published by ACEC in 2022. She has been nationally recognized for her contributions to the industry, including being a recipient of the 2022 Young Professional of the Year Award from ACEC and the 2018 Ascending Leader Award from EBC. Her unique education, with bachelors degrees in both Political Science (University of Rochester) and Civil and Environmental Engineering (UMass Lowell), and a masters degree in Civil Engineering (UMass Lowell), helps her effectively navigate the intersection of policy and engineered solutions.
Julie resides in Lowell with her husband, daughter, and two kitties, and loves attending musicals and plays.
Julie actively supports public sector clients across the United States with implementing resilience programs and policies and delivering resilient solutions. Julie has led multiple award-winning projects that have set standards for resilient transportation planning and design, including the ResilientMass Action Team (RMAT) Statewide Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool and Boston’s Climate Resilience Design Guidelines for protecting rights-of-way.
Julie is a published subject matter expert, including writing “Case Study 3 – From Molasses to Sea Level Rise: Boston’s North End” in Climate Change and the Built Environment, published by ACEC in 2022. She has been nationally recognized for her contributions to the industry, including being a recipient of the 2022 Young Professional of the Year Award from ACEC and the 2018 Ascending Leader Award from EBC. Her unique education, with bachelors degrees in both Political Science (University of Rochester) and Civil and Environmental Engineering (UMass Lowell), and a masters degree in Civil Engineering (UMass Lowell), helps her effectively navigate the intersection of policy and engineered solutions.
Julie resides in Lowell with her husband, daughter, and two kitties, and loves attending musicals and plays.
Agenda
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5:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. | Registration
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5:20 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Networking & Dinner
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6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Conversation with Vivien Li
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COVID Policy
Funders
All cancellations must be received at least three (3) business days prior to the event to avoid being charged or to receive a refund.
The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce encourages persons with disabilities to participate, and engage fully, in its programs and events.
If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, including but not limited to, listening devices, closed captioning, large print, wheelchair access, allergies and environmental sensitivities, or if you have any questions about the venue, event format, or virtual platform, please contact us.