In a relatively smooth election compared to the current U.S. presidential race, producer Janet Yang has been re-elected as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a third consecutive term by the organization’s Board of Governors. Her re-election is in line with the typical pattern for AMPAS presidents, who are often re-elected annually within a potential four-year term, provided they have not been term-limited on the Board.
The Board of Governors also elected new officers, including Lesley Barber, who will serve as Vice President and chair the Membership Committee; DeVon Franklin, who will be Vice President and chair the Equity and Inclusion Committee; Donna Gigliotti as Vice President/Treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee; Lynette Howell-Taylor as Vice President and chair of the Awards Committee; and Howard A. Rodman as Vice President/Secretary and chair of the Governance Committee.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer expressed enthusiasm for Yang’s reappointment, stating, “I am thrilled to have Janet return as Academy President for a third term to continue our great work of the past two years. I also am so pleased to welcome this year’s incredible slate of dedicated board officers. I look forward to collaborating with our officers and governors to advance the Academy’s mission, serve our global membership, celebrate the work of our international filmmaking community, continue to ensure the financial health of the Academy, and broaden our reach and impact within the industry.”
Beginning her third term, Yang is also in her sixth year as a Governor-at-Large, a position to which she was nominated by the sitting Academy president and elected by the Board of Governors in 2019 and 2022. Franklin, Howell-Taylor, and Rodman were re-elected as officers, while Gigliotti returns after having previously served in an officer role. Barber, a new officer, is a member of the Academy’s music branch.
Yang, a member of the Academy’s Producers Branch since 2002, has a notable list of film producing credits, including South Central, The Joy Luck Club, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Zero Effect, Savior, The Weight of Water, High Crimes, and Over the Moon, which was nominated for an Oscar for Animated Feature. She also won an Emmy for the HBO film Indictment: The McMartin Trial.
Academy board members can serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, with eligibility for up to two additional three-year terms, totaling a lifetime maximum of 12 years. Officers have one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive years in any single office.
