Vanessa Diamond

Vanessa Diamond is the senior vice president of civic engagement for the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. In this capacity, Vanessa convenes coalitions of community organizations, business leaders, institutions of higher education and government entities to help create a better ecosystem for civic engagement and nonprofit sustainability across the central Virginia region. She also leads the Community Foundation’s Civic Engagement Team, which creates opportunities for people to learn about and engage with the Greater Richmond community, empowering individuals to give back with their time and voice in ways that feel meaningful and generate the most impact. Vanessa was a co-founder and director of HandsOn Greater Richmond, the region’s volunteer center which merged with the Community Foundation in 2018. Over her career, Vanessa served in AmeriCorps for two years in Oregon and then in a variety of staff roles in national service programs. Then moving to Richmond, Vanessa oversaw Virginia Commonwealth University’s Service Learning programming and was vice president of a regional nonprofit resource center, Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence. Vanessa received her bachelor’s degree from NC State University and her MPA from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Vanessa serves on local, national and international boards and committees to support civic innovation, including chair of the Points of Light Global Network Affiliate Assembly, vice chair of the Virginia Governor’s board for Volunteerism and National service, board member of the Urban League of Greater Richmond, board member of the Virginia Service Foundation and board member of America’s Service Commissions (ASC).