Ana Serrano

_{Photo by Jen Squires Photographer}

As the first Black, Indigenous and Person of Colour (I-BIPOC) President and Vice-Chancellor in OCAD University’s 147-year-history, Ana Serrano is a champion of progressive change, a celebrated creator and innovator in digital media and a global visionary. Along with her strong intuitive sense of the value of art and design education and research, Ana is known for driving financial growth, maximizing operational excellence and delivering high performance.

She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in building award-winning digital experiences, securing large public and private sector investments, creating strategic alliances and entrepreneurship. In 2021, she was recognized as the winner of the Crystal Award for Digital Trailblazer, an honour bestowed by Women in Film & Television Toronto. In 2016, she won the Digital Media Trailblazing Award at the Canadian Screen Awards from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Before coming to OCAD University, she was the Chief Digital Officer of the Canadian Film Centre and launched several unique and cutting-edge Canadian start-up accelerators, including IDEABOOST, Canada’s first digital entertainment accelerator, with founding partners Shaw Media, Corus Entertainment and Google. With the heart of a volunteer, she sits on the board of the Open Democracy Project, the Toronto Arts Council and the Atkinson Foundation.

In her own creative production practice, Ana is launching Prison Dancer: The Musical at Citadel Theatre during its 2022–23 season.