The Board of Governors sets the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
Three governors from each of the Academy’s 17 branches are elected to serve for a three-year term. Governors may serve a maximum of three consecutive three-year terms (nine years).
Governors attend six to seven board meetings in person, or by video conference when out of town, are required to serve on one of the Board Committees (Membership & Administration, Awards & Events, Finance, Preservation & History, Education & Outreach) which meet periodically throughout the year, and may also be asked to represent their branch at various Academy events.
- Each governor is automatically appointed to his or her branch’s executive committee. These committees meet at least once a year to review candidates for membership and, where applicable, to debate and approve changes to the Academy Awards Rules.
CEO Dawn Hudson oversees a staff of more than 300 who conduct the Academy's day-to-day business.
Officers 2018 - 2019
President - John Bailey
Mr. Bailey’s cinematography credits include "Ordinary People," "American Gigolo," " The Big Chill," "Groundhog Day," "As Good As It Gets," "The Anniversary Party," "The Way Way Back," and "A Walk in the Woods." In 2014, he received the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Bailey is a governor of the Cinematographers Branch.
First Vice President - Lois Burwell
Ms. Burwell won an Oscar for her makeup work on "Braveheart" and was nominated for "Saving Private Ryan." Her other feature credits include "The Princess Bride," "War Horse," "Lincoln," and "Ready Player One." Ms. Burwell is a governor of the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch.
Vice President - Sid Ganis
Co-President (with wife and partner, Nancy Ganis) of Out of the Blue Entertainment, a film and television production company. Former key studio exec around the industry and past president of the Academy. Currently working in the Chinese film market and (with Nancy) developing projects to be shot in China, Europe, and the United States. Mr. Ganis is a governor of the Marketing and Public Relations Branch.
Vice President - Larry Karaszewski
Mr. Karaszewski is best known for unusual true stories written in tandem with Scott Alexander. Their feature film credits include the Oscar-winning “Ed Wood,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “Man on the Moon,” and "Big Eyes.” Mr. Karaszewski is a governor of the Writers Branch.
Vice President - Nancy Utley
Ms. Utley is Chairman of Fox Searchlight Pictures, where she manages all aspects of the company, including production, acquisitions, marketing and distribution. Ms. Utley is a governor of the Marketing and Public Relations Branch.
Treasurer - Jim Gianopulos
Mr. Gianopulos is the Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures where he oversees the studio’s film and television operations worldwide, including production, marketing, and distribution. Mr. Gianopulos is a governor of the Executives Branch.
Secretary - David Rubin
Mr. Rubin’s career as a casting director includes more than 80 motion pictures, including “The English Patient,” “Men in Black,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and “Lars and the Real Girl.” In 2002, he received the Casting Society of America’s Hoyt Bowers Award for outstanding contribution to the casting profession. Mr. Rubin is a governor of the Casting Directors Branch.
CEO - Dawn Hudson
Prior to becoming the Academy's CEO in 2011, Ms. Hudson was the Executive Director of Film Independent, which grew from a small non-profit into a nationally recognized arts institution under her leadership. She has worked in the arts for more than 25 years.
Governors 2018 - 2019
Actors Branch
Laura Dern
Ms. Dern earned an Oscar nomination for her leading role in “Rambling Rose” and for her supporting role in “Wild.” Her other credits include “Mask,” “Blue Velvet,” “Wild At Heart,” ”Jurassic Park,” “Citizen Ruth,” “99 Homes,” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
Whoopi Goldberg
Oscar winner for “Ghost” and nominated for “The Color Purple,” she hosted the Academy Awards four times. Feature credits include “Soapdish,” “Corrina, Corrina,” two “Sister Act” films, and “The Lion King.” A Grammy, Emmy, and Tony winner as well as Ambassador for the UN, she was also a recipient of the Mark Twain Prize.
Alfred Molina
Mr. Molina is a SAG, EMMY, and BAFTA nominee, and his credits include “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “Spider-Man 2,” “Enchanted April,” “Frida,” “Love is Strange,” “Boogie Nights,” “Prick Up Your Ears,” and “Chocolat.”
Casting Directors Branch
Lora Kennedy
Ms. Kennedy has worked as a casting director for more than 25 years, on such features as “Soapdish,” “Tombstone,” “Argo,” “The Town,” “Wonder Woman,” and “Justice League.” She is the 2012 recipient of the Casting Society of America’s Hoyt Bowers Award for outstanding contribution to the casting profession.
David Rubin
Mr. Rubin’s career as a casting director includes more than 80 motion pictures, including “The English Patient,” “Men in Black,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and “Lars and the Real Girl.” In 2002, he received the Casting Society of America’s Hoyt Bowers Award for outstanding contribution to the casting profession.
Bernard Telsey
Mr. Telsey has been a casting director for film, stage, and television for over 25 years. His feature credits include “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Miss Sloane,” “The Intern,” "Into the Woods," "Rachel Getting Married,” "Margin Call,” “Across the Universe," and "Pieces of April.” He serves as the New York vice president of the Casting Society of America.
Cinematographers Branch
John Bailey
Mr. Bailey’s cinematography credits include "Ordinary People," "American Gigolo," " The Big Chill," "Groundhog Day," "As Good As It Gets," "The Anniversary Party," "The Way Way Back," and "A Walk in the Woods." In 2014, he received the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award.
DARYN OKADA
Mr. Okada’s cinematography credits include “Let’s Be Cops,” “Dolphin Tale 2,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Mean Girls,” and “Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.”
Mandy Walker
Ms. Walker's credits include “Hidden Figures,” “The Mountain Between Us,”, “Australia,” “Shattered Glass,” and “Lantana.” She was inducted into the Hall of Fame for The Australian Cinematographers Society in 2017, and was an artist in residence at UCLA in 2015.
Costume Designers Branch
Sharen K. Davis
Ms. Davis received Oscar nominations for her costume designs for “Dreamgirls” and “Ray.” Her other feature credits include "Fences," “Django Unchained,” and “The Help.”
Jeffrey Kurland
Mr. Kurland’s credits include “Mission: Impossible-Fallout,” “Dunkirk,” “Bullets over Broadway,” for which he received an Oscar nomination, and “Inception.” In 2017, he received the Career Achievement Award from the Costume Designers Guild.
Isis Mussenden
Ms. Mussenden’s credits include “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe” (and two additional sequels), “American Psycho,” and “The Wolverine.” In addition, she was the first costume designer to receive costume-design credit for animation: “Shrek,” “Shrek 2,” and “Puss in Boots.”
Directors Branch
Susanne Bier
Ms. Bier is the director of the Oscar-winning film, “In a Better World,” and the Emmy-winning director for the series, “The Night Manager.” Her film “After the Wedding” received an Oscar nomination in the Foreign Language Film category. Additional credits include “Things We Lost in the Fire,” the original “Brothers,” “Open Hearts,” and the upcoming film “Bird Box.”
Kimberly Peirce
Ms. Peirce is the director of the Oscar-winning film, “Boys Don’t Cry.” Her other feature credits include “Stop-Loss” and the 2013 film adaptation of “Carrie.”
Steven Spielberg
Mr. Spielberg is a 17-time Oscar nominee and a recipient of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. He has won Academy Awards for directing and producing “Schindler’s List” and for directing “Saving Private Ryan.” His recent credits include “Bridge of Spies,” “The Post,” and “Ready Player One.”
Documentary Branch
Kate Amend
Ms. Amend is the editor of the Oscar-winning documentaries “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport” and “The Long Way Home.” Other credits include "Serena," “The Case Against 8,” “First Position,” and “Beah: A Black Woman Speaks.”
RORY KENNEDY
Ms. Kennedy received an Oscar nomination for the documentary feature, “Last Days in Vietnam.” Her other credits include “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton,” “Ethel,” “Killing in the Name,” and “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.”
Roger Ross Williams
Mr. Williams won an Oscar for his short documentary, “Music by Prudence,” and a second nomination for his feature documentary, “Life, Animated.” His other credits include “God Loves Uganda” and “Blackface.”
Executives Branch
Daniel R. Fellman
Mr. Fellman is chairman of Fellman Consulting Corporation, having served as president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros. for nearly four decades. He has overseen the theatrical releases of eight “Harry Potter” films, the “Dark Knight” trilogy, the “Matrix” trilogy, ”American Sniper,” “Gravity,” and Best Picture winners, “Million Dollar Baby,” “The Departed,” “Happy Feet,” and “Argo.”
JIM GIANOPULOS
Mr. Gianopulos is the Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures where he oversees the studio’s film and television operations worldwide, including production, marketing, and distribution.
David Linde
Mr. Linde is Chief Executive Officer at Participant Media. He has held executive, founder, and producer roles at Lava Bear Films, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, and Good Machine.
Film Editors Branch
MARK GOLDBLATT
Mr. Goldblatt earned an Oscar nomination for his work on “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” He also has edited such features as “True Lies,” “Starship Troopers,” and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
CAROL LITTLETON
Ms. Littleton earned an Oscar nomination for her work on “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” She also has edited such features as “A Walk in the Woods,” “Margot at the Wedding,” “Beloved,” and “The Big Chill.”
Michael Tronick
Mr. Tronick’s feature film editing credits include “Scent of a Woman,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Hairspray,” “The Green Hornet,” "Straight Outta Compton," and "Bright."
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
Kathryn L. Blondell
Ms. Blondell has served as hairstylist on such films as “The Revenant,” “Django Unchained,” “J. Edgar,” “Revolutionary Road,” “Blood Diamond,” “Shampoo,” and “Harold and Maude.”
LOIS BURWELL
Ms. Burwell won an Oscar for her makeup work on "Braveheart" and was nominated for "Saving Private Ryan." Her other feature credits include "The Princess Bride," "War Horse," "Lincoln," and "Ready Player One."
Leonard Engelman
Mr. Engelman’s feature credits include “Burlesque,” “Heat,” “Moonstruck,” “Rocky IV,” and “Rambo.”
Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Sid Ganis
Co-President (with wife and partner, Nancy Ganis) of Out of the Blue Entertainment, a film and television production company. Former key studio exec around the industry and past president of the Academy. Currently working in the Chinese film market and (with Nancy) developing projects to be shot in China, Europe, and the United States.
Christina Kounelias
Ms. Kounelias is the President, Worldwide Marketing, at Participant Media, where she oversees global strategy for all marketing, branding, and communications initiatives. Prior to Participant, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at the Academy and previously held senior marketing posts at New Line Cinema, Fox, and Miramax Films.
Nancy Utley
Ms. Utley is Chairman of Fox Searchlight Pictures, where she manages all aspects of the company, including production, acquisitions, marketing, and distribution.
Music Branch
Charles Bernstein
Mr. Bernstein is best known for scoring genre classics, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (the original), Stephen King’s “Cujo,” and “The Entity,” among over 130 feature films and TV movies. His credits also include “Inglorious Basterds” and Oscar-winning documentaries, “Czechoslovakia 1968” and “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision.”
MICHAEL GIACCHINO
Mr. Giacchino won an Oscar for his original score for “Up.” His other credits include “Star Trek,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “The Incredibles,” “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and “Ratatouille,” for which he received an Oscar nomination.
Laura Karpman
Ms. Karpman is an award-winning composer and a tireless champion for women in music. With a doctorate from Juilliard, her work spans film, television, concert halls, theater, and video games. She is a four-time Emmy ® winner whose feature credits include “Paris Can Wait,” “The Beguiled,” and "Step.”
Producers Branch
Albert Berger
Mr. Berger received an Oscar nomination for “Nebraska.” His other credits include “Little Children,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” and “Election.”
Mark Johnson
Mr. Johnson received a Best Picture Oscar for "Rain Man" and a nomination for "Bugsy.” He has also produced such films as "Donnie Brasco," "The Notebook," "Galaxy Quest," Steven Soderbergh's "Logan Lucky," and Alexander Payne's "Downsizing."
Jennifer Todd
Ms. Todd produced the double Oscar-winning film “Alice in Wonderland” and the Oscar-nominated films “Memento” and “Across the Universe.” She recently produced the Emmy-nominated 89th and 90th Annual Academy Awards.
Production Design Branch
Tom Duffield
Mr. Duffield’s credits include “Patriots Day,” “Hell or High Water,” “Lone Survivor,” “Broken City," “The Kingdom,” “ The Rundown,” ”The Ring,” and “Ed Wood.”
Jan Pascale
Ms. Pascale was nominated for an Academy Award for her work as set decorator on “Good Night, and Good Luck.” Her other credits include “Argo,” “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” “Syriana,” and “Training Day.”
Wynn P. Thomas
Mr. Thomas' credits include "Hidden Figures," "A Beautiful Mind," "Cinderella Man," "Mars Attacks!," "Malcolm X," and "Do the Right Thing."
Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
Bonnie Arnold
Ms. Arnold, a producer at DreamWorks Animation, produced the Academy Award nominated films “How To Train Your Dragon” and “How To Train Your Dragon 2.”Her additional producing credits include Pixar’s landmark movie “Toy Story” and Disney’s “Tarzan.” She served as Co-President/President of Feature Animation at DreamWorks Animation (2015-17).
Jon Bloom
Mr. Bloom produced and directed the Live Action Short Film "Overnight Sensation" which earned him an Oscar nomination. He founded his Production Company, BloomFilm in 1987 after 2 decades in Entertainment.
TOM Sito
Mr. Sito is a professor in the Animation and Digital Arts Division of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His 31 film credits include “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Shrek,” “Osmosis Jones,” and “Garfield.”
Sound Branch
Kevin Collier
Mr. Collier currently serves as the VP of Engineering and Technology, Warner Bros. Studio Facilities, a position he’s held for more than twenty years. Prior to Warner Bros., Mr. Collier worked at NBC Universal and Quad Eight Electronics.
Teri E. Dorman
Ms. Dorman has been a sound editor for 40 years. Her credits include “La La Land,” “Moneyball,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, “Pearl Harbor,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” “Bird,” “Top Gun,” and “The Deer Hunter.”
Scott Millan
Mr. Millan has won four Academy Awards as a re-recording mixer, for “Apollo 13,” “Gladiator,” “Ray,” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.” He received additional nominations for his work on “Schindler’s List,” “Braveheart,” “Road to Perdition,” “Salt,” and “Skyfall.”
Visual Effects Branch
Craig Barron
Mr. Barron has contributed visual effects to more than a hundred motion pictures. He received an Oscar nomination for his work on “Batman Returns” and was awarded Best Visual Effects on “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” He is co-chair of the Academy’s Science and Technology Council.
Richard Edlund
Mr. Edlund has won four Oscars, for “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope,” “Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back,” “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi,” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” He has earned an additional six nominations. He is also the recipient of three Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards and the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation.
John Knoll
Mr. Knoll has earned six Oscar nominations for Visual Effects, for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace,” “Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,” and three films in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. He won an Oscar for his work on “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”
Writers Branch
Larry Karaszewski
Mr. Karaszewski is best known for unusual true stories written in tandem with Scott Alexander. Their feature film credits include the Oscar-winning “Ed Wood,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “Man on the Moon,” and "Big Eyes.”
Billy Ray
Mr. Ray received an Oscar nomination for his Adapted Screenplay for “Captain Phillips.” His other credits include “The Hunger Games,” “Breach,” “Shattered Glass,” and Secret in Their Eyes.”
Robin Swicord
Ms. Swicord received an Oscar nomination for Adapted Screenplay for the screen story for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Her writing credits also include “Little Women,” “Matilda,” and “Memoirs of a Geisha.”. She also wrote and directed “The Jane Austen Book Club” and “Wakefield.”
Governors-at-Large
(Nominated by the President and elected by the board)
Reginald Hudlin
Mr. Hudlin is a member of the Directors Branch and received a Best Picture Oscar nomination for “Django Unchained.” His other feature film credits include “Boomerang” and “House Party.” He served as co-producer of the 88th Oscars.
Gregory Nava
Mr. Nava is a member of the Writers Branch and received an Oscar nomination for his Original Screenplay "El Norte" which he also directed. His other feature film credits as writer/director include "My Family" and "Selena." He is also one of the screenwriters of "Frida."
Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Ms. Yuh Nelson is a member of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch and received an Oscar nomination for the Animated Feature “Kung Fu Panda 2.” Her other feature credits include “Kung Fu Panda 3,” Kung Fu Panda,” and “Madagascar.”
nicholl comittee - Nicholl Comittee
Robin Swicord
Chair - Writers Branch
Stephanie Allain
Producers Branch
Bobbi Banks
Sound Branch
Albert Berger
Producers Branch
Julia Chasman
Producers Branch
Tina Gordon Chism
Writers Branch
Eric Heisserer
Writers Branch
Marcus Hu
Executives Branch
Larry Karaszewski
Writers Branch
Julie Lynn
Producers Branch
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