Photo: R. Ayité Okyne
Tom of Finland Foundation (ToFF) has announced the election of R. Ayité Okyne as its new Board of Directors Chairperson, marking a milestone in the Foundation’s history. Okyne is the first person of color and the first Board Chair born in Africa to assume this role.
This appointment, states ToFF in its press release, underscores the Foundation’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and representative arts community.
More from the press release below:
Born in Ghana and raised in Europe, Okyne brings a global perspective shaped by personal and professional experiences. His leadership journey has been one of resilience and advocacy. In 2001, he was publicly outed as Gay in the Ghanaian media, an event that forced him to emigrate to the United States after living briefly in the UK and France. These experiences, coupled with Ghana’s recent passage of a bill criminalizing LGBTQ+ identities, have deepened his resolve to create spaces of sanctuary and creative freedom for marginalized communities—a mission at the heart of the Foundation’s work.
Okyne joined Tom of Finland Foundation’s Board in 2021 and distinguished himself as a passionate and visionary leader. Last year, he worked diligently to strengthen the Foundation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Policy, which the Board adopted unanimously. This initiative continues with a new urgency to further reform the Foundation’s mission, operations, and programming. Okyne is currently creating the framework to create a more deeply-embedded and far-reaching DEI program and its implementation.
Okyne follows former Board Chair Dan Henrickson who retired in December 2024, having served in several capacities at the Foundation since 2021 and oversaw the Board’s initiative to professionalize, adopt planning practices, and enact policies to modernize and redirect the forty-year-old organization. These steps led to the hiring of chief executive officer, Edward Cella in June 2024.
Having served on the Board of Directors since 2022, Cella led a comprehensive reorganization of the Foundation, establishing new Advisory Committees to regulate key organization programs and remove institutional bias, increasing accountability and transparency across the organization. He has directed the development of a comprehensive strategic plan that was approved by the Board at the end of 2024 and is currently being revisited to substantially reconsider the future of the Foundation and move up the timeline to meet key organizational goals.
“Okyne’s election as Board Chair on 15th January is the culmination of our Board’s effort to create a bridge to the Foundation’s future,” ToFF CEO, Edward Cella states. “Little did we know as we took incremental steps how consequential the cumulative endeavor would become at the current moment of transition.”
Cella continues, “Over the past two weeks, we have heard many concerns expressed to us and we are at this time addressing these responsibly. As we look ahead, our Board, our team, and our stakeholders are committed to embracing the many changes needed to realize the full potential of Tom of Finland Foundation to provide opportunity for LBGTQ+ artists around the world to explore their creative freedoms while preserving an important collection of our community’s unique Queer artistic legacy that has often been censored or ignored.”
As the Board liaison to ToFF’s Artist-in-Residence Program Advisory Committee (A-i-R), Okyne has championed efforts to broaden the vetting and selection of A-i-R participants. The program has become a beacon for artists worldwide, particularly those from underrepresented and marginalized communities, seeking a sanctuary for creative expression.
“Representation matters,” said Okyne. “The work we do at Tom of Finland Foundation transcends borders and challenges societal norms. When we celebrate diversity in art, we celebrate the beauty of human experience in all its forms. Through art, we find freedom, expression, and the courage to reimagine the world.”
With this aim, Okyne will oversee the recruitment of four new members to the Board of Directors over the next several months and has established vetting criteria that consider the foundation’s diversity and inclusion goals alongside the professional merits of the candidates. Working closely with Cella, they are conducting an audit of the foundation’s practices and policies, seeking input and direction from individuals and community organizations to help guide future decisions, and enacting accountability to foster more diverse representation across the organization and its programs.
Okyne’s career spans nearly three decades as an event producer and director for large-scale and televised events. He also served as the National Director, Producer, and Executive Director of the Miss Universe Ghana pageant for twelve years, where he championed the representation of Ghanaian culture on an international stage. His leadership extends to nonprofit work; Ayité helped establish the first Board of Directors for the Thrive Tribe, which was an organization that was dedicated to ending HIV and the stigma associated with it. He led the Thrive Tribe Board’s first strategy retreat and developed its inaugural strategic plan.
In addition to his leadership and advocacy, Okyne is a prolific writer and storyteller. For many years, he wrote a popular blog, The Lifestyle Maven, sharing insights on culture, entertainment, and personal development. He is also a published author of two books, highlighting his talent to inspire and connect through the written word.
Today, Okyne is a touch therapist and facilitates workshops and retreats for men focused on touch, intimacy, sexuality, and spirituality. His work centers on fostering deeper human connection and helping men embrace vulnerability to find their authentic selves.
Okyne steps into his new role as Tom of Finland Foundation is expanding its impact within the diverse communities it serves. His lived experiences as an immigrant, LGBTQ+ advocate, and global leader bring a bold, visionary approach to advancing the Foundation’s mission of protecting, preserving, and promoting Queer art and culture and fighting censorship.
