As Canada commemorates National Volunteer Week from April 19 to 25, OCAD University is highlighting recent additions and the re-election of two incumbents to its volunteer Board of Governors.
The new members include Gerald Grison, integrated media technician in OCAD U’s Studio Services; Nicholas Pozhke, vice-president at Crestview Strategy; and Sarah Lerchs, chair of Montcrest School and former vice-president and general counsel at The Woodbridge Company Limited.
Board Chair Lanita Layton was re-elected to a one-year term, and board member Brian Davis was appointed first vice-chair for a one-year term. Both returning members began their new terms on Dec. 1, 2025.
New Board Members
Gerald Grison (OCAD U permanent staff board member)
Term: March 2026 to June 2027
Gerald Grison is a multidisciplinary artist and academic technician. They use new and reclaimed technology to create collaborative machines and sculptural works, exploring themes of planned obsolescence and the right to repair. As a lifelong musician, they produce experimental, electronic and polyrhythmic music, creating live audio visualizations and hybrid percussion instruments. They have performed across North America.
Grison teaches media technology skills through courses and workshops at various institutions, including OCAD University, where they hold the position of integrated media technician. In this role, they assist students and manage studios for video, film, audio, animation, electronics design/fabrication and coding.
Nicholas Pozhke (Lieutenant Governor in Council board member)
Term: October 2025 to October 2028
Nicholas Pozhke is a public affairs and policy professional who currently serves as a vice-president at Crestview Strategy, a national sector-leading public affairs firm offering multinational corporations, associations and not-for-profit organizations strategic public affairs counsel and solutions in key international markets.
Pozhke previously served as a senior advisor at the Parliament of Canada, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada. He has extensive industry advocacy experience and has contributed to international peace and security through his deployment with Canadian Electoral Observation Missions (CANEOM), monitoring elections outside Canada.
He has worked to advance the priorities of Canada’s defence industrial base and security sector. Pozhke serves on the boards of charitable and political organizations at both the provincial and federal levels. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Western Ontario.
Sarah Lerchs (External board member)
Term: December 2025 to June 2028
Sarah Lerchs was most recently the vice-president and general counsel at The Woodbridge Company Limited, the private investment company for Canada’s Thomson family. She retired from her role in 2024.
Lerchs is currently the chair of Montcrest School, a leading elementary school located in Toronto. She was also formerly on the board of Youth Without Shelter, a homeless shelter for youth located in Etobicoke.
She is a graduate of Western University and the University of British Columbia School of Law.
Returning Board Members
Brian Davis
Board First Vice Chair Term: December 2025 to December 2026
Brian Davis has had more than a 40-year career in corporate law and banking. He retired from full-time employment at the end of 2023.
For nearly 20 years, Davis was part of the executive management team of the National Bank of Canada, spending the last 10 years as co-chairman, co-CEO and co-president of National Bank Financial Inc., the investment dealer subsidiary of the Bank.
Prior to that, he was a corporate securities and mergers and acquisitions lawyer for the Torys law firm in Toronto, where he was the lead relationship partner for National Bank, Brookfield and Manulife, among others.
Davis continues to consult for National Bank and has taken roles in support of community initiatives for United Way of Greater Toronto.
He attended the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School.
Lanita Layton
Board Chair Term: December 2025 to December 2026
Lanita Layton is a senior executive, luxury and premium retail consultant, and strategic advisor known for driving business transformation and revenue growth across leading and emerging brands.
She has held senior leadership roles at Hugo Boss (managing director), Birks (chief omnichannel sales and marketing Officer), and Holt Renfrew (vice-president and general merchandise manager, menswear), and currently serves as senior advisor and strategic consultant to Noksha Capital and Caulfeild Apparel Group Ltd. She is also a member of the advisory board at Goodszilla.
Layton is a member of the Lytton First Nation, part of the larger N’laka’pamux Nation.
About the OCAD U Board of Governors
The 28-member OCAD U Board of Governors is responsible for governing the affairs of the University, including approving the budget and establishing policies and institutional priorities. Its members include 18 external members, which include six appointees from the Government of Ontario, 10 elected by the Board and two elected by the OCAD U Alumni Association.
The remaining 10 members are drawn from the OCAD U internal community, including three faculty members who are appointed by Senate, two staff members elected by permanent managers and staff, respectively, and three students (two undergraduate and one graduate). The President and Chancellor are ex-officio members of the Board.
