CALGARY – The Board of Directors of the National accessArts Centre presented by TD Ready Commitment (NaAC) is pleased to share that Jung-Suk (JS) Ryu, founding President and CEO of the NaAC, has agreed to extend his contract until December 31, 2027. This news comes as the NaAC continues to take major steps forward in the development of its accessible arts learning campus project in the heart of Calgary.

JS was first appointed Executive Director of the In-Definite Arts Society in 2017 and led its merger with sister disability arts companies Momo Movement and Artistic Expressions in 2020, creating Canada’s first multidisciplinary disability arts organization now known as the National accessArts Centre. During his first tenure (2017-2023), he spearheaded several major initiatives including the rapid expansion of the NaAC’s international projects in more than 12 regions around the world and the opening of the Won Lee Community Arts Hub in Toronto. The organization also ramped up its efforts to position its participants as bona fide artists – launching new artist residency initiatives locally and around the world, and connecting its artists to prestigious exhibition, presentation, and acquisition opportunities. In 2022, the NaAC announced its first major partnership with Global Affairs Canada with the acquisition of 13 of its artists’ works, now circulating throughout Canada’s official residences, cultural centres, and embassies around the world. Initially one of only two full-time staff members, the NaAC has since grown to a team of more than 20+ strong, more than tripling in size and cementing its position as Canada’s leading disability arts organization.

Since his return in July 2024, JS has secured multimillion dollar commitments that will soon be unveiled as part of the largest capital campaign in the history of the global disability arts movement in 2025. In addition, he secured the largest corporate investment in the history of the disability arts sector in Canada and will conclude this year with the highest recorded support from individual, corporate, and foundation donors in the organization’s 49-year history.

“JS Ryu has shown us what is possible when we use the power of the arts in shifting the narrative around disabilities, and this has positioned the NaAC as a true global leader in our disability rights movement. Now, as the NaAC embarks on its largest endeavour yet – the construction of the world’s first accessible arts learning campus in Calgary – I look forward to supporting JS and his team alongside my board colleagues.”

– Dr. Stephanie Chipeur, Chair, NaAC Board of Directors

Prior to joining the NaAC, JS held senior roles spanning a multitude of sectors including: Director, External Relations at The Banff Centre; Director, Public Affairs with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind; Senior Consultant, Alberta Medical Association; and Principal Speechwriter to the Ambassador of Japan. In 2019, he was named one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 by Avenue Magazine. Appointed a Salzburg Global Fellow in 2017, he is the recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal (2005), the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022), and the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2024). He currently serves on the boards of The Nonprofit Chamber, National Arts Strategies, Canadian Art Foundation, and FCSS Rocky View County.

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