VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Rick Hansen Foundation today announced the appointment of Tamara Vrooman as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. Vrooman succeeds current Co-Chairs Lyall Knott and George Gaffney, who have collectively dedicated years of valuable service to the Foundation dating back to 1999, and served as Co-Chairs together since 2013.
Vrooman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vancity, has been a Board Director with the Rick Hansen Foundation since 2016. Vrooman, also Co-Chair of the Presidents Group, is known to lend her voice and leadership experience to issues related to women, families and children, with a focus on issues related to equality, inclusion and empowerment. She has been recognized for her leadership with multiple awards and honours and is a frequent speaker at local, national and international conferences and symposia.
“Over the past two years, Tamara has shown tremendous leadership as a member of our Board, lending her extensive experience and insights to help us deliver on our goals of building a more accessible and inclusive Canada,” said Rick Hansen, CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation. “We are thrilled to welcome Tamara into this position of leadership, and are confident that her passion and commitment to everything she does will serve the Foundation extremely well.”
“I’m honoured to accept this new role and would like to thank Lyall Knott and George Gaffney for their guidance as Co-Chairs of the Foundation over the past five years,” Vrooman said. “The business case for making Canada more accessible for people living with disabilities has never been stronger. We’ve made progress raising awareness and changing attitudes, but there’s still a long way to go.”
While Vrooman assumes the role of Chair effective immediately, the Foundation will continue to benefit from both Gaffney and Knott, who will remain on the Board to provide valuable advice and guidance based on their longstanding involvement with the Foundation.
“On behalf of the entire Rick Hansen Foundation family, I’d like to express our most sincere gratitude to Lyall Knott and George Gaffney, whose leadership and support has guided the Foundation through a whole host of meaningful initiatives that have advanced our accessibility agenda throughout the years,” said Hansen. “We are grateful they will both remain on the board, and continue to play an important role as we amplify our efforts to deliver programs and initiatives that increase accessibility in the built environment.”
The announcement comes following the Rick Hansen Foundation’s annual Board strategic planning session. The Foundation continues to focus on developing and delivering initiatives that increase accessibility in the built environment, specifically on the establishment of the RHF Accessibility Certification program which rates the level of accessibility of public places and spaces.
About the Rick Hansen Foundation
The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) was established in 1988, following the completion of Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour. For nearly 30 years, RHF has worked to raise awareness, change attitudes, and remove barriers for people with disabilities. Visit www.rickhansen.com to learn more.
Media Contact
Dawn Tse, Publicist
Rick Hansen Foundation
D: 778-296-1541
M: 778-229-7532
dtse@rickhansen.com