Vira Salzburn

Resilient Coastal Georgia

Supporting: Bryan, Chatham, Effingham

Vira Salzburn is a Ukrainian-American and the Director of Impact at the Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, where she leads strategic initiatives to advance conflict resilience, trauma-informed education, and community well-being. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council, where she built Georgia’s largest community-led suicide prevention program and introduced Mindful Self-Compassion and resiliency programs as innovative upstream approaches to mental health and well-being.

Vira is the developer of two statewide training programs: REALM (Resilience Enhancement and Leadership Model), a certified training for first responders, and TRUST (Transforming Relationships Under Stress through Trust), a trauma-informed leadership program for educators.

She holds a Graduate Certificate in Human Behavior from Harvard University Extension School, a Master of Science in Management and Organizational Leadership from Troy University, and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Humanities from Auburn University at Montgomery, along with multiple certifications in trauma-informed practices, mediation, project management, and coaching. A TEDx speaker and recipient of the Community Impact Award from Georgians for a Healthy Future, Vira is passionate about transforming systems through compassion, connection, and collaboration.

Outside of work, she enjoys Latin dance, going for long runs, writing poetry, and raising her daughter, Kalyna, alongside her husband and their dog. Vira speaks four languages and is currently learning a fifth.