Jerry Zhang and Kerry Swanson have joined the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) as Director of Finance and Administration and Associate Director of Granting, respectively.
“We are delighted to have two such seasoned professionals joining OAC’s leadership team,” said Peter Caldwell, Director & CEO. “Jerry brings financial expertise from both the private and not-for-profit sectors. Kerry has worked at a senior level, both in funding agencies and arts organizations, and has in-depth knowledge of the arts in Ontario.”
Jerry Zhang
Jerry is a finance professional with more than 15 years of experience in the field. He holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, as well as a CPA, CMA designation. Jerry comes to OAC from Commissionaires Great Lakes, a not-for-profit organization where he was Vice President, Finance – a role which included overseeing finance and information technology services. He has also held financial leadership positions at Chartwell Seniors Housing REIT and Bell Canada Inc.
Jerry started at OAC on January 18, and is working closely with outgoing Director of Finance and Administration Jim Grace for two weeks as Jerry transitions into his new role. Jim is retiring at the end of January after 18 years with OAC.
Kerry Swanson
Kerry brings to OAC her significant leadership experience with arts organizations, funding agencies and the Indigenous arts sector. Most recently, she was Partnerships and Grants Officer with the Toronto Arts Council (TAC), where she managed several strategic funding initiatives and launched TAC’s first Indigenous arts program. She was the founding Executive Director of the Media Arts Network of Ontario / Réseau des arts médiatiques de l'Ontario (MANO/RAMO), and also led the highly regarded imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. Kerry holds a master’s degree in Communication and Culture from Ryerson and York Universities’ joint program, as well as a post-graduate certificate in journalism.
In the newly created Associate Director of Granting position, Kerry will work closely with all members of OAC’s granting staff. Yesterday was her first day at OAC.