Dieu-Lien (Ellen) To is VPS Co-Founder, Board Member, and currently Chief Cultural Partnership Officer. She is a passionate changemaker whose journey has always been guided by the belief that “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

Dieu-Lien is a graduate of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam in International Law and International Relations, and a recipient of the Best Thesis Award for her Masters of Science in Public Affairs & Public Administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston. With over 18 years of experience in building and leading nonprofits, social enterprises, and innovative technology projects, she has continuously turned challenges into opportunities for sustainable, humanitarian development. Her impressive track record includes co-founding and running three nonprofit organizations, including The Association of Vietnamese Professionals & Students in the U.S. (VPS, previously known as AVSPUS), The Association of Vietnamese Professionals & Students in Greater Boston, the AI For Vietnam Foundation (AIV); as well as pioneering MARU, the social enterprise with a patented sustainable housing model designed for populations living with severe floods and coping with climate change. MARU has won multiple national and international awards, including the 1st Prize at the National Award for WomenLed Innovative Green Startups, organized by the World Bank, UKAid, AusAid, and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam in 2019.

Over her career, she has designed and/or run more than 30 humanitarian and developmental projects leveraging the quality of lives of the most disadvantaged populations - poorest communities in remote areas, people with disabilities, people living in natural disaster zones… especially through the means of technology. Her work embodies an unwavering commitment to creating positive social impacts and advancing sustainable development.

She has served as VPS Board Member since 2012 till present, Chief of Philanthropy Officer from 2013 to 2019, and VPS President from 2023 to 2025.

With a deep-rooted commitment to empowering and contributing to the Vietnamese community in the U.S. as well as in Vietnam and across the world, Dieu-Lien is persistent in continuing to serve for the goals and visions of VPS - the organization she co-founded and has become an integral part of her journey in the U.S.

Currently, she serves as Senior Manager - Partnership & Resource Development of CDA Network