Keynote, Panel and Celebration

The theme for our 10 year celebrations is to dream forward to the next 10 years. How does the sector change and interact with other stakeholders to do the business of healthy communities effectively? What will communities look like? How will they cope and or thrive in a period of change, and of economic and environmental uncertainty?

Our afternoon and evening celebrations are designed to provide a multitude of answers to these questions and to a vision for 2018. We’ve asked Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancity Savings Credit Union, to provide her perspective as our keynote address and the Co-op will assemble a panel of prominent British Columbians to provide their perspective in response.

Keynote Speaker and Panelist: Tamara Vrooman

As Chief Executive Officer, Tamara Vrooman harnesses the strength, breadth and diversity across Vancity to encourage growth and prosperity for the greater good. As the head of Canada’s largest credit union, Tamara considers her role as a continuation of her career in public service as Vancity extends its financial success to facilitate positive social and environmental change.

As Deputy Minister of Finance for British Columbia from 2004 through mid-2007, Tamara also served as Secretary to the Treasury Board and CEO of the Public Sector Employers’ Council. Among her achievements in that time, Tamara led the strategy development and implementation to successfully renegotiate 100 per cent of expiring collective agreements in the public sector without strike or mediation and led the Ministry to two AAA credit rating upgrades. Her role included overseeing the government’s annual $100 billion borrowing and cash requirements and developing the government’s $36 billion fiscal plan. Her prior portfolio was as Deputy Minister and Executive Financial Officer for the Ministry of Health where she balanced the budget and developed the Ministry’s financial management plan.

Tamara holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts (History) from the University of Victoria. Her accomplishments have been recognized with the 2007 Knowledge and Leadership Award from the Association of Women in Finance; inclusion on Canada’s Top 40 Under 40™ and the 2003 Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to public service in BC.

Panelist: Virginia Greene

Virginia Greene is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of BC.  Ms. Greene has experience in both the private and public sectors. She has a clear understanding of business, as an entrepreneur who built her own successful company from the ground up, and she has served at the most senior levels of government.

Ms. Greene was Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of the Premier from 2006 to 2007 and Deputy Minister of Tourism, Sports and the Arts from 2005 to 2006. She is the past President and CEO of Connect@JWT North America and was the founder of Go Direct Marketing.

Ms. Greene is a Past Chair of the BC/Yukon Division of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and has served on the boards of numerous organizations. She is a founding member of the StreetoHome Foundation to address homelessness in Vancouver. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia.

The Business Council of British Columbia, established in 1966, is an association representing approximately 210 large and medium-sized enterprises. The Council's members are active in all major sectors of the provincial economy. Taken together, the corporate members and the associations affiliated with the Business Council account for approximately one quarter of all jobs in British Columbia.

Panelist: Cairine MacDonald

Cairine MacDonald was appointed Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Social Development in June 2008. MHSD has an annual budget of ~$2.5 billion, ~ 2,600 staff and provides services to clients through 100 offices across British Columbia, a network of community-based external service providers and crown corporations, including BC Housing, Community Living BC and BC Lottery Corporation.

Cairine served as DM of Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance from June 2005 to June 2008. The mission was “to focus on the customer by transforming the way we deliver services in employment and income assistance, using effective and outcome based practices, and working collaboration with ministries, other levels of government and service agencies”.

Cairine served as the Deputy Minister of Management Services and Chief Executive Officer of Solutions BC from August 2003 to June 2005. During this period, Management Services led transformation initiatives in client-centred service delivery - Service BC; shared services - Solutions BC; bridging the digital divide - NetWork BC; Alternative Service Delivery; as well as the Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Cairine was responsible for the transition from regulation to competition for the largest retail company in Alberta during the period from 1997 to 2002 as Vice President, Distribution and Transmission, Edmonton Power, and then as President, EPCOR Energy Services Inc. She was EPCOR Executive in Residence at the University of Alberta School of Business (CABREE - Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy and the Environment) during the first half of 2003.

Cairine spent fourteen years in telecommunications, culminating as President, TELUS Advertising Services (Edmonton) Inc. She developed an integrated, customer-focused approach to the marketing and delivery of network, data, business and residential services, extending that operational approach to the mobility and advertising sectors.

Cairine took her undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta, MBA at the University of Western Ontario and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard.

Panel Facilitator: Caroline Bonesky

Caroline Bonesky is the Chair of the UCS CO-op board and the Executive Director of Fraserside Community Services Society. She has focused her career working in the non profit sector, particularly with community based services. She believe that the sector has untapped potential that will play a critical role in community and economic development in the future. Ms. Bonesky has a BA, BSW, RSW and currently working on her MBA.