Vincena Allen, Chief Growth officer & VICE PRESIDENT

Vincena Allen is the Chief Growth Officer & Vice President at The SEED Foundation (SEED).  With more than 15 years of executive management experience, she has dedicated her career to education, program design, human development, and collective impact. Vincena’s areas of focus at SEED include overseeing: the internal and external growth of SEED’s College Transition & Success (CTS) services and College Matching Technology (CMT) solution; SEED network initiatives associated with human resources/talent integration and SEED’s college success model; and leadership and performance management support for SEED heads of school. Additionally, Vincena supports board engagement and development, and served as Interim Chief Executive Officer during the CEO’s sabbatical in 2024.

Vincena’s previous professional experience includes serving in leadership positions at community-based organizations and higher education institutions in the mid-Atlantic and mid-west.  She has presented at conferences such as the National College Access Network (NCAN), National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC), The College Board, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Additionally, Vincena has written for the Huffington Post and was interviewed by the Harvard Social Impact Review.

 Vincena’ s interest in human development and education led her to study psychology at Allegheny College, earn a master’s degree from the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, and receive a certificate of non-profit management from Columbia University’s Executive Level Business program. Vincena is a Pahara Fellow, the Chair of the Common App Board of Directors, a Circles Rising Leaders Program Fellow (Aspen Institute), an Emerging Human Capital Leaders Initiative Fellow (Education Pioneers), and the recipient of the Rosa Wessel Award for Outstanding Master’s Degree Student in Social Work.