Lynette Howell Taylor was reelected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy announced on Wednesday. The Board of Governors first elected Howell Taylor in 2025.
In addition to Howell Taylor, the Board also elected the following people to serve the 2026-27 term: Lesley Barber (Music Branch), Vice President (chair, Membership Committee); David Dinerstein (Marketing and Public Relations Branch), Vice President/Treasurer (chair, Finance Committee); Jennifer Fox (Producers Branch), Vice President (chair, Awards Committee); Lou Diamond Phillips (Actors Branch), Vice President (chair, Equity and Inclusion Committee); and Howard A. Rodman (Writers Branch), Vice President/Secretary (chair, Governance Committee).
Barber, Fox, Phillips and Rodman were reelected; Dinnerstein will serve in the role for the first time.
Howell Taylor is the beneficiary of a new rule passed by the Academy Board of Governors earlier this year. Academy governors have a term limit of two consecutive three-year terms, after which they must step away from the board for two years. Howell Taylor ended her second consecutive term this year, which under the old rules would have made her ineligible to run for another term as president, even though AMPAS rules allow a president to serve four consecutive one-year terms.
The new rule, however, allows sitting presidents to run for re-election even if they have termed off the board; if elected, they become ex officio members of the board until the completion of their presidential term.
Several recent presidents were unable to serve the maximum allotted four one-year terms because of the old rules. Howell Taylor is the first to be elected and become an ex officio board member under the new ones.
Her election bumps up the Board of Governors to a record 61 members.
“We are so deeply grateful to Lynette, Lesley, David, Jennifer, Lou and Howard for their commitment to the Academy and to our global film community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement. “As we move toward our 100th anniversary, I am excited to continue our vital work with the Board and these exceptional Board officers to support our members, the industry and the Academy’s mission and programs.”
She is the fifth woman to hold the position of president and the third in the last 12 years, after Cheryl Boone Isaacs (2013-2017) and Yang (2022-2025). The other previous female presidents were Bette Davis, who resigned after two months in 1941, and Fay Kanin, who served from 1979 to 1983.
Howell Taylor has produced more than 25 films, including “Roofman,” “Big Eyes,” “The Place beyond the Pines,” “Blue Valentine” and “Half Nelson.” She earned her first Best Picture nomination in 2019 for “A Star Is Born,” and in 2020, produced the 92nd Academy Awards telecast with Stephanie Allain. For that, she was nominated for an Emmy.
