Vicki Heyman is the co-founder of Uncharted LLC, which convenes and connects diverse groups of Americans and Canadians for impact. There, she combines her charitable, political, cultural, and fundraising experience to work on projects involving philanthropy, storytelling, and political activism. She is also the co-author of The Art of Diplomacy: Strengthening the Canada-U.S. Relationship in Times of Uncertainty, which highlights the extraordinary country of Canada and takes an in-depth look at why diplomacy matters now more than ever.
Vicki serves on the board of Chicago Media Project, a community of documentary film supporters who believe in the power of media to bring about social change. She is on the board of the Council for Canadian American Relations, an organization that promotes cross-border arts and cultural exchanges and is a member of the international advisory board of C2 Montreal. She is also an adviser to Embarc, a three-year program that provides community-driven, experiential learning opportunities to low-income Chicago high school students. Vicki leads the Heyman family’s charitable initiatives with a focus on supporting youth.
Before launching Uncharted, Vicki spent three years as an American cultural envoy in Ottawa, Canada, leading cross-border conversations and programs related to the arts, social innovation, and youth engagement. Her most powerful work there involved partnering with the US Embassy Ottawa and the State Department’s Art in Embassies program to launch the seminal Contemporary Conversations speaking series at the National Gallery of Canada to use art to craft discussions on issues such as social justice, the environment, and identity.
Previously, Vicki was a Co-Chair of the Illinois Finance Committee for the 2012 Obama for America campaign, and was an active member of the 2008 and 2012 Obama for America National Finance Committees. From 2007-2008 Vicki was the Chicago Co-Chair for the DNC Women’s Leadership Forum, organizing female political engagement.
She graduated with a BA from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management. People, ideas, and creativity inspire Vicki. Having fun with family and friends is her greatest joy; she and her husband Bruce live in Chicago and have three fantastic kids and three beautiful grandchildren.
Follow Vicki on Facebook @vicki.heyman – Instagram @vshey – Twitter @vshey