Welcome Jessica Litwin, Luminato’s new CDO

Luminato is happy to welcome Jessica Litwin to the Luminato team as our Chief Development Officer.

Jessica is a seasoned arts and culture leader and fundraiser dedicated to ensuring artists and arts organizations thrive in their communities.  

“We are so lucky to have Jessica join our team as CDO at Luminato,” says Luminato’s CEO Celia Smith. “She brings an incredible depth of development experience in arts and culture from Canada and the UK. But most importantly, she is a community builder who understands that being a patron of the arts means investing in the fabric of your community.”

After nearly 10 years in London, UK, working with museums and performing arts across fundraising, sponsorship, philanthropy, and government relations, Jessica and her family made the decision to move home to Toronto, Canada.

“It was time,” says Jessica. “We loved our years in London and were sad to leave behind our community there, but it was time to come home. It’s been a difficult year for artists and the cultural sector as a whole and I want to be a part of rebuilding Toronto’s arts and culture sector.”

During her time at the National Portrait Gallery, Jessica led the museum’s largest capital campaign to date, building a diverse team focused on corporate sponsorship, grants, major gifts, patronage, membership and planned giving. With her team, Jessica secured lead funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Garfield Weston Foundation, Fondation CHANEL, and Art Fund.

Over the course of five years, she also activated successful multi-year partnerships with brands and businesses such as McCain, Bank of America, Disney, Bloomberg, BP, McKinsey, Hugo Boss, Gucci, and Taylor Wessing LLP.

Naomi Campbell, Luminato’s Artistic Director, echoes Celia’s enthusiasm. “Jessica brings invaluable arts and culture experience to Luminato from her years abroad. I am so pleased that she has returned to Canada to join us at the festival, and look forward to working together with her, to support artists and communities in Toronto and across Canada.”

When asked what excites her most about her position as CDO at Luminato, Jessica is quick to respond. “What I’m most looking forward to is contributing to the recovery and growth of Toronto’s arts and culture sector. I want to get to know the Luminato community of supporters and understand how we’re going to work together to ensure there is a sustainable platform for artists and arts organizations to showcase their excellence in Toronto for years to come.”