Our Board

Join Our Board of Directors!

We are seeking non-profit and industry leaders with strong community connections and networks in Scarborough and the GTA with experience in the following areas: Finance, Accounting, Governance, Marketing and Communications, Human Resources, Law, Gallery Programming and Exhibitions, Volunteer Management, and - as always - Artists and Collectives! Please submit expressions of interest along with resumes / CVs to: Suman Roy, Chair, Board of Directors at board@scarborougharts.com

Suman Roy | Chair

Suman Roy has an extensive career in Private and Public sector business operations around the City of Toronto, Nationally and Internationally. His contributions have led to the development and support of numerous social planning programmes, business ventures and successful community initiatives.

Suman has been a corporate and executive chef in various organizations like Campbell Soup, University of Toronto, Sodexo Canada, Marriott International to name a few. In his role in these organizations, Suman proved to be a very successful business leader, prioritizing accountability while focusing on building a strong community.

Suman was a member of the Toronto Board of Health, Toronto Food Policy Council, during which he supported the launch of Toronto Youth Food Policy Council, giving the voice of our future generations. Suman was also one of the key consultants who helped write the first Food Strategy for the City of Toronto. He initiated Scarborough Food Security Initiative, to spread awareness and combat food insecurities in Scarborough.

Mr Roy is also the author of an International award winning best-selling book “From Pemmican To Poutine – A Journey Through Canada’s Culinary History”

Currently, Suman is the Chair for the Board of Directors at Food Share Toronto, Canada’s largest food security organization. He is also a member of Coalition for Healthy School Food, where he advocates and lobbies the Federal government and the Senate on various food issues including Bill S228 (Child Health Protection Act), Bill C291 (GMO Labelling legislation) etc.

Johnny Zhang | Vice Chair

With a passion for supporting artists and the Scarborough community, Johnny (John) Zhang is a teacher, educator, writer, and arts administrator by profession with over 30 years experience teaching and working as an administrator at the post-secondary educational and non-profit environment in Canada and in China.

Prior to that, he had 10 years experience teaching English and doing related research at Shandong University in China, where he got his Masters Degree in English and Literature at Peking University while teaching part-time during his 3-year graduate studies. He was writing and publishing his non-fiction works in China and later in Canada in the early 1990s. 

A resident in Scarborough for over 2 decades, he has been actively involved in community services as a valued volunteer for various non-profit community organizations. In 2003, he received Canada Day Achievement Award from the Toronto National Day Celebration Committee, and in 2007 was awarded his outstanding volunteer services by Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

Amer Al-Shaar | Treasurer

Amer is an accounting professional with over ten years of experience providing audit, review, and tax services to private companies and not-for-profit organizations, reporting under Accounting Standards for Not-for-profit Organizations in a variety of industries, which include charities, higher education, and foundations. Amer lives in Mississauga and services clients around the GTA. He enjoys spending time with family and friends and staying active in his free time.