Tamara Vrooman

Tamara Vrooman is an award-winning leader, known for her exemplary track record leading large, complex institutions in both the private and public sectors and her bold positions on sustainability and inclusion. Prior to joining YVR as President & CEO, she served for nine years on YVR’s Board and for 13 years as the President & CEO of Vancity, Canada’s largest community credit union, transforming the business into a global reference point for values-based banking. She currently serves as Simon Fraser University’s 12^th Chancellor, chairs the board of the Rick Hansen Foundation and is the recipient of the Order of British Columbia (2019), Peter Lougheed Award for Leadership in Public Policy (2016) and BC CEO of the Year Award – Major Private Company, Business in Vancouver (2015), among many other citations.

People are often curious about my career path—namely, how I went from studying history to becoming CEO of a financial cooperative, with a significant stay in government in between. It's really not that much of a stretch. A good liberal arts education teaches you one of the most important skills you need—how to think—and that will carry you far. Consider your area of study as the foundation for you to build on and take your career wherever you want to go.