Say Hello To Our New Board Members

We’ve recently undergone a few changes to our Board of Directors, including a heartfelt goodbye to our former chair, David Vella. After eight years, David is stepping down from the JAYU Board of Directors. David has been with us for a long time and has had a hand in helping JAYU grow from a weekend film festival to the thriving charitable organization that it is today. The JAYU team will greatly miss him!

Our Board of Directors are dedicated to guide JAYU through our year-round programming which includes our annual Festival of Human Rights x Arts, our iAM program, The Hum Podcast and our Human Rights Screening Series.

JAYU strongly believes the arts provide the most crucial platform to share human rights stories. The arts can be used to educate, to build empathy, to heal, to forge community and to inspire the kinds of conversations necessary to reimagine a more just and equitable world.

"It has been an honour to be on the JAYU Board and an absolute privilege to serve as chair. I am so grateful to have worked with incredible individuals and so excited to see Alicia elected as the new Chair. She will take the Board, and JAYU, to incredible new heights. Thank you JAYU for this experience."

David Vella

We're so excited for the future of JAYU during a time of many changes. Now it’s finally time to introduce our amazing new chair, vice-chair, and directors of our board!

Meet Alicia Rose :
Chair of JAYU’s Board of Directors

Alicia has had a lifelong passion for social impact. She has worked with organizations such as Business and Arts, Pathways to Education, and Harbourfront Centre. She worked for over 15 years in the social sector in roles that ranged from program manager to executive director and everything in between. Upon joining TD, Alicia has led the Canadian Employee Giving Campaign, as well as the TD Ready Challenge's which is TD's North American innovation fund providing $10MM of grants to charitable organizations. Most recently, Alicia has moved into an expanded role of Associate, Vice President, Social Impact Canada. In this role she oversees the colleague engagement, events, and philanthropy portfolios for TD Ready Commitment, including Friends of the Environment Foundation. She continues her involvement in the social sector and serves on boards such as School for Social Entrepreneurs Ontario, JAYU, and Soulpepper Theatre Company.

Meet Nidhi Khanna:
Our New Vice-Chair of JAYU’s Board of Director

Nidhi brings 20 years of non-profit sector experience in program development, operations, social enterprise and event management. Over the course of her career, Nidhi has worked at the institutional, grassroots and municipal levels including leadership roles at Artscape, Mississauga Celebration Square, and Meadowvale Theatre. Nidhi’s approach to programming is framed in a holistic view that intersects with operations, finance and community to develop relevant and responsive programs. She is currently Director of Program Operations for Skills for Change, a registered charity and nonprofit multi-service agency in Toronto, Ontario serving over 16,000 immigrants and refugees annually through community based programs.

An actor by training, she holds an M.A. in Text and Performance Studies from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and an MBA in Marketing and International Business from York University’s Schulich School of Business.

Nidhi’s community work has focused on mentorship of emerging arts leaders with a particular focus on the systemic issues and barriers that face women in the non-profit sector. She is a 2018 Fellow of the Toronto Arts Council’s Leaders Lab, a Coach for Girls on Boards and a Strategic Advisor for Work In Culture and Generator and honored to be Vice-Chair of JAYU's Board of Directors.

Meet Nonna Aroutiounian :
Our New Director of JAYU’s Board of Directors

Nonna Aroutiounian is community relations professional with corporate and non-profit experience in citizenship & social impact. She supported strategic development and execution of arts & culture and newcomer-focused community investment portfolios within the TD Ready Commitment, TD’s corporate citizenship platform before taking on a strategy & planning role with TD's Canadian Personal Banking team.

Prior to joining TD, Nonna managed the community investment program at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority where she led support and investment engagement with community organizations in neighbourhoods surrounding Toronto Pearson airport.

Nonna holds a double masters in Orchestral Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan and a bachelors in music from the University of British Columbia. She has performed as an orchestral clarinetist, touring musician, and has also taught music as a private teacher. A nurturer of vibrant and inclusive communities, she puts her training and experience to work across professional and volunteer endeavours, and is a 2021-2022 fellow of CivicAction's DiverseCity Fellows program.

Meet Amanda Blair Roberson:
Our New Director of JAYU’s Board of Directors

With 13 years in the Arts, Fashion and Beauty industry. Amanda is a self -taught makeup artist and creative director. Working for renowned publications and fashion houses such as Vogue Italia, Nylon, Vanity Teen, The Bay and more. 

Deciding to pursue a later education, graduating with honours in the Advertising & Communications Program at Humber College, Amanda found her passion in creating impact programming and experiences for the creative arts community in Toronto. Working for Artscape Daniels Launchpad as Partnership Lead and as of 2021 the Director of Community Impact for Justice Fund Toronto.  

With experience in cultural programming & Partnerships working with organizations like Refinery29, Universal Music, AGO, and OVO Amanda's work is dedicated to creating expressive experiences that celebrate art, culture and social justice and is passionate about creating sustainable change.