Kerry Swanson is an experienced executive and fundraiser dedicated to the growth and development of some of Canada's leading Indigenous arts organizations and initiatives over the last seventeen years.  Kerry has served as both Board Chair and Executive Director of the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, the world's largest presenter of Indigenous screen content. She is a co-founder of Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto at Harbourfront Centre.  Kerry was Associate Director of Granting at the Ontario Arts Council, where she launched the Indigenous Culture Fund, a $5 million annual program. She launched a number of innovative arts funding programs at the Toronto Arts Council, including the TAC Cultural Leaders Lab at the Banff Centre, the Indigenous Arts Program, and the Open Door Fund. 

Kerry has a Masters in Communication and Culture and her project thesis on the work of Kent Monkman was nominated for a Governor General's Silver Medal. Kerry was born and raised in Chapleau, northern Ontario, in a Cree/Ojibwe, Irish and French family. She is a band member of Michipicoten First Nation with familial ties to Chapleau Cree First Nation.

Speaking on: Supporting underrepresented filmmakers