In 1992, Vrooman attempted to earn a position with the British Columbia's Ministry of Finance but was rejected because her interviewers assumed she had poor mathematical skills. While in this role, she won the 2007 Knowledge and Leadership Award from the Association of Women in Finance and the 2003
Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to B.C.'s public service. She replaced Dave Mowat, who had held the position for seven years. The following year, Vancity became the first
carbon-neutral credit union in North America. During the 2010 fiscal year, Vancity hit a financial high and Vrooman was named Canada's most powerful woman in the corporate executives category by the Women's Executive Network. By 2011, Vancity became the largest Canadian organization to adopt a living wage policy and she was appointed to sit on the Board of Vancouver Airport Authority. Vrooman received a 2011
YWCA Women of Distinction Award and was also honoured with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the UVic
Alumni Association. As CEO and president of Vancity, Vrooman helped develop and chair Canada's first Schedule 1 bank focused on impact in the Greater Toronto Area, called the Vancity Community Investment Bank. In 2016,
Simon Fraser University honoured her with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. By 2018, she was selected by the Federal Government to co-chair a panel on climate change. A year later, she was the recipient of the
Order of British Columbia for "contributing to a better quality of life in B.C. and beyond." She was also awarded the 2019 PEAK Award from the Association of Women in Finance. In June, she was named the 12th chancellor of SFU. While in these roles, she was appointed chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) in January 2021. This position is a
Governor in Council appointment made of the advice of the
minister of infrastructure and communities. She left the CIB board in January 2024. == References ==