Academy Board is Majority-Female for First Time in History
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
With its annual elections, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has noticeably altered the makeup of its Board of Governors. For the first time in its history, the Academy’s board will be majority female with a total of 31 of the 54 board seats now being filled by women. The board’s percentage of members from underrepresented racial/ethnic communities also increase from 12 to 15.
Every three years, a third of the board’s non-appointed seats come up for a vote. Of the 17 board seats that were up for election this year, only four will continue to be filled for the next three years by an incumbent. The four incumbents who were reelected were the only currently-serving board members to seek reelection. The other seats were left vacant due to new and updated Academy rules that prohibit board members from serving longer than two terms without taking a two-year hiatus before becoming eligible for reelection. Board members are also barred from serving no more than four terms, or a total of 12 total years. This last rule means several board members will be departing forever, including Sid Ganis (marketing/public relations), Jeffrey Kurland (costume designers), Carol Littleton (film editors), and Jim Gianopulos (executives).
The members who are stepping down, but will be eligible for election in 2023, are Lois Burwell (makeup artists/hairstylists), Bernard Telsey (casting directors), Daryn Okada (cinematographers), Rory Kennedy (documentary), Michael Giacchino (music), Scott Millan (sound), John Knoll (visual effects), and Billy Ray (writers).
The Academy’s 17 branches are each represented by three governors, who may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms, for a lifetime maximum of 12 years.
Elected to the Board for the first time:
Rita Wilson, Actors Branch
Kim Taylor-Coleman, Casting Directors Branch
Paul Cameron, Cinematographers Branch
Eduardo Castro, Costume Designers Branch
Jean Tsien, Documentary Branch
Pam Abdy, Executives Branch
Terilyn A. Shropshire, Film Editors Branch
Laura C. Kim, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Lesley Barber, Music Branch
Gary C. Bourgeois, Sound Branch
Brooke Breton, Visual Effects Branch
Howard A. Rodman, Writers Branch
Incumbent governors reelected to the Board:
Susanne Bier, Directors Branch
Jennifer Todd, Producers Branch
Tom Duffield, Production Design Branch
Bonnie Arnold, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
Returning to the Board after a hiatus:
Bill Corso, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
Returning Governors:
Kate Amend, Documentary Branch
Craig Barron, Visual Effects Branch
Howard Berger, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
Charles Bernstein, Music Branch
Jon Bloom, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
Rob Bredow, Visual Effects Branch
Ruth E. Carter, Costume Designers Branch
Kevin Collier, Sound Branch
Laura Dern, Actors Branch
Teri E. Dorman, Sound Branch
Dody J. Dorn, Film Editors Branch
Ava DuVernay, Directors Branch
Linda Flowers, Makeup and Hairstylists Branch
DeVon Franklin, Governors-At-Large, nominated by the President and elected by the board
Rodrigo García, Governors-At-Large, nominated by the President and elected by the board
Donna Gigliotti, Executives Branch
Whoopi Goldberg, Actors Branch
Lynette Howell Taylor, Producers Branch
Mark Johnson, Producers Branch
Larry Karaszewski, Writers Branch
Laura Karpman, Music Branch
Christina Kounelias, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Ellen Kuras. Cinematographers Branch
David Linde, Executives Branch
Isis Mussenden, Costume Designers Branch
Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
Jan Pascale, Production Design Branch
Stephen Rivkin, Film Editors Branch
Eric Roth, Writers Branch
David Rubin, Casting Directors Branch
Steven Spielberg, Directors Branch
Wynn P. Thomas, Production Design Branch
Nancy Utley, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Mandy Walker, Cinematographers Branch
Roger Ross Williams, Documentary Branch
Janet Yang, Governors-At-Large, nominated by the President and elected by the board
Debra Zane, Casting Directors Branch
