Jerrold McGrath

Jerrold McGrath is a dedicated leader in the arts and culture sector, with an impressive career driven by a passion for Japanese culture - both traditional and contemporary, the role of art in our lives, and the constant need to support community achievement. Born in Brockville and raised in Kingston, Ontario, Jerrold earned a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and a Master’s in Professional Studies from the University of Denver, focusing on Strategic Innovation and Change. This educational background equipped him with the skills necessary to lead transformative initiatives across various sectors. His lasting interest in cross-cultural communication began with a role as a relocation trainer for large corporations in Aichi, Japan such as Toyota and Mitsubishi.

Upon returning to Canada, Jerrold assumed leadership roles in the arts, including as a Program Director at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where he served from 2008 to 2016. In this role, he funded, developed and led leadership programming, including the establishment of the Peter Lougheed Leadership Initiative in partnership with the University of Alberta and former Prime Minister the Right Honourable Kim Campbell. His leadership fostered collaborations across diverse sectors, cultures, and communities, addressing contemporary challenges through interdisciplinary and innovative programming.

In 2017, he founded UKAI Projects, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting diasporic practices and engaging in meaningful dialogues about pressing global issues, such as climate change. Notable highlights of UKAI's programming include a month-long exhibition in Reykjavik, Iceland and the Canadian premiere of Tokyo-based noise artist Araki Yuko in 2024, which showcased the fusion of traditional and contemporary Japanese art forms.

Jerrold is also a founding member at the Maitri Platform, a global volunteer organization that emerged to address gaps in equity in response to COVID. The group supported the conversion of a garment factory in India to making personal protective equipment (PPE), repurposed last-generation sleep apnea machines for use as intubators in under-resourced clinical settings, and raised over $250,000 for Indigenous women-led projects in the United States. He served as a member of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network from 2017 to 2024, which connects leaders committed to social change across the globe.

He lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter where they are active in the Japanese community. He began his new role as the Executive Director of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, on April 28, 2025.

Photo by Kelly Fleck/Nikkei Voice