Academy Increases Number of Women, People of Color on Its Board of Governors

The board election increases the number of women on the 54-person board to 24 and the number of people of color to 11

91st Oscars
AMPAS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has elected its 2019-2020 Board of Governors, with 10 incumbents returning to positions on the board and six new governors elected for the first time.

The election increases the number of female governors on the 54-person board from 22 to 24, and the number of people of color from 10 to 11.

The election resulted in a tie in the Film Editors Branch, with Dody Dorn and Mark Goldblatt moving to a runoff election that ends Tuesday, June 18.

Despite the turmoil within the Academy over the last year, with numerous snafus around the Oscars show and new rules (a “popular Oscar,” presenting awards off the air on the Oscar show) passed and then rescinded, incumbents fared extremely well in the election. Of the 11 incumbents who were running, 10 won re-election outright, while Goldblatt made it to the runoff election.

The re-elected incumbents included director Steven Spielberg, actor Laura Dern, producer Mark Johnson and documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams.

Board members elected for the first time include executive Donna Gigliotti, writer Eric Roth, animation director Jennifer Yuh Nelson and costume designer Ruth Elaine Carter, whose win for “Black Panther” in February made her the first black woman ever to win the award.

Among the candidates who were running but did not win were actor Rita Wilson, executives Mike Medavoy, Tom Rothman and Michael Barker, writer John Ridley and former governors Richard P. Crudo, Reginald Hudlin, Michael Mann, Lynne Littman, Bill Corso, Curt Behlmer and Gregory Nava.

From the AMPAS press release:

Newly elected to the Board:
Ellen Kuras, Cinematographers Branch
Ruth Elaine Carter, Costume Designers Branch
Donna Gigliotti, Executives Branch
Howard Berger, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
Eric Roth, Writers Branch

Reelected to the Board:
Laura Dern, Actors Branch
David Rubin, Casting Directors Branch
Steven Spielberg, Directors Branch
Roger Ross Williams, Documentary Branch
Nancy Utley, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Laura Karpman, Music Branch
Mark Johnson, Producers Branch
Jan Pascale, Production Design Branch
Kevin Collier, Sound Branch
Craig Barron, Visual Effects Branch

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