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Rita Davies, CM, Chair

Toronto

Rita Davies, CM, Chair

Rita Davies was first appointed Chair of the Ontario Arts Council’s board of directors on July 22, 2015, and was reappointed for a third term on July 29, 2021. Rita is well known in Toronto’s arts community for her former role as Director of Culture for the City of Toronto from 1999 to 2012 and for her tenure at the Toronto Arts Council (TAC) from 1984 to 1999. She is recognized for her work at the TAC to  spearhead diverse and inclusive programs and for her involvement in the Cultural Capital report, the Cultural Diversity report and No Vacancy, the affordable live-work space report, which led to the creation of Toronto Artscape.
 
Among many initiatives during her tenure at the city, she oversaw the development of its first-ever culture plan and the establishment of the Nuit Blanche festival. 
 
Rita has sat on a number of not-for-profit arts boards, including the Art of Time Ensemble, Fall for Dance and Theatre Passe Muraille.

In December 2020, Rita Davies was named to the Order of Canada in honour of her leadership and dedication to the arts in Toronto and in the province of Ontario.