Speaker Winnie Luk
Winnie Luk is a visionary senior leader with close to 30 years of progressive experience and proven expertise in strategic planning, project and events management, human resources, financial management, fundraising, and team development working across non-profit, film, entertainment, and public sectors.
She is the inaugural Executive Director of the Disability Screen Office (DSO), a national, disability-led, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to develop opportunities for disabled creatives and advocate for a more accessible Canadian screen industry. The DSO’s vision is an accessible and inclusive Canadian screen industry where disabled creatives thrive.
Winnie has navigated various mobility disabilities throughout her life. Her lifelong encounters with mobility issues and work with the city fuel her passion for advocating for accessibility rights.
Prior to her role at the DSO, she served for four years as the Managing Director of Rainbow Railroad, a charitable organization that provides support to LGBTQI+ individuals seeking a safe haven from state-sponsored or enabled violence. Before that, she was the Director of Operations and Events at Inside Out, the presenter of the annual Toronto and Ottawa 2SLGBTQI+ Film Festivals and was with the organization for 16 years. Winnie also worked with the City of Toronto for eight years in the Parks and Recreation Department where her work included supervising disability recreation programming.
Winnie is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, a member of the Advisory Committee for the CISF (Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BIPOC Creators), a Project Advisory Committee member for Independent Living’s Festivals and Events Accessibility Project, and a shareholder in Glad Day Bookshop, the world’s oldest LGBTQI+ bookstore.
Other select organizations to which she has contributed as a senior volunteer include serving on the Board of Directors for ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association of North America and the Caribbean), the Board of Directors for Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and the Selection Committee for the Community One Foundation. Winnie graduated from the University of Toronto with a double major in Semiotics and Communications and Women and Gender Studies, and a minor in Cinema Studies.
Speaking on: Topic Tables