Vivian Sanchez-Jones was born in San Jose de Ocoa in the Dominican Republic. Vivian attended the Bernard Baruch College of the City University of New York where she received her Bachelor’s degree in International Marketing with a major in Spanish Literature. In 1998, Vivian and her family moved to the Dominican Republic to work with Food for the Hungry International doing relief and development work.

After spending four years in the Dominican Republic, the family returned to the United States and settled in Roanoke. Vivian began working with Refugee and Immigration Services, a Program of Commonwealth Catholic Charities, as the school liaison for immigrant children in 2004. As a School and Community liaison she has worked with several hundred Latino families in the Roanoke Valley, helping them navigate the school system and community services.

Since living in Roanoke, Vivian has served on the Roanoke City Multi-Cultural Committee appointed by Mayor Harris, the Virginia Board of Counseling appointed by Governor Kaine, The Latino Task Force Committee, which organized the first Latino Festival in Roanoke, Festival in the Park, Blue Ridge Council of the Boy Scouts of America, The Complete Count Committee for the State of Virginia as well as for the City of Roanoke and The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine diversity board. Vivian also serves as President of Avencemos Roanoke, a community organization assisting Latinos in the Roanoke Valley. She was appointed in 2014 by Governor McAuliffe to serve on the Board of Counseling. In honor of her humanitarian efforts and commitment to the Latino community, Vivian was awarded the Martin Luther King Local Hero Award in 2007 and the Women of Achievement, Equality Award in 2012.