The Board of Governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
Governors attend 6-8 board meetings annually (in person or by video conference when out of town). Each Governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.
Governors have fiduciary responsibilities imposed by state law to serve the Academy’s best interests, by acting with responsibility and care when approving annual goals presented by management, as well as major policies concerning governance.
CEO Dawn Hudson oversees a staff of more than 400 who conduct the Academy's day-to-day business.
Officers 2020 - 2021
President - David Rubin
Mr. Rubin’s career as a casting director includes more than 90 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.
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 - 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,” “Big Eyes,” and “Dolemite is My Name.” Mr. Karaszewski is co-chair of the International Feature Film category. He won the Emmy, Golden Globe, PGA and WGA Award for “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Mr. Karaszewski is a governor of the Writers Branch.
Vice President - 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.” Ms. Mussenden is a governor of the Costume Designers Branch.
Vice President - Wynn P. Thomas
Mr. Thomas' credits include "Hidden Figures," "A Beautiful Mind," "Cinderella Man," "Mars Attacks!," "Malcolm X," and "Do the Right Thing." Mr. Thomas is a governor of the Production Design 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 - Janet Yang
Ms. Yang, a member of the Producers Branch, began her career in China in distribution. Her extensive film and TV producting credits include “The Joy Luck Club,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “Shanghai Calling,” “High Crimes,” “Dark Matter,” and “Zero Effect.” She won an Emmy for the HBO film, “Indictment: The McMartin Trial.” Her upcoming films include the animated feature, “Over the Moon.” Ms. Yang is a Governors-at-Large.
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 2020 - 2021
Actors Branch
Laura Dern
Ms. Dern won the Oscar for her supporting role in “Marriage Story” and earned Oscar nominations 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," Ms. Goldberg 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 U.N., she is 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
David Rubin
Mr. Rubin’s career as a casting director includes more than 90 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 “In the Heights,” “Respect,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Miss Sloane,” "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 and is the 2016 recipient of the organization’s Hoyt Bowers Award for outstanding contribution to the casting profession.
Debra Zane
Ms. Zane has been a casting director for nearly three decades. Her feature credits include “Mulan,” “The Hunger Games” trilogy, “The Planet of the Apes” trilogy, “Dreamgirls,” “Seabiscuit,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Traffic,” “Galaxy Quest,” and “American Beauty.” Debra is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.
Cinematographers Branch
Ellen Kuras
Oscar nominated for her film "The Betrayal/Nerakhoon," Ms. Kuras is a two-time Primetime Emmy winner. Her credits include "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Blow," "Summer of Sam," "Wormwood," "Rolling Thunder Revue," and, as a director, "Ozark" and "Catch 22."
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 “Mulan,” “Hidden Figures,” “Australia,” “Shattered Glass,” and “Lantana.” She was inducted into the Hall of Fame of The Australian Cinematographers Society in 2017, and was an artist in residence at UCLA in 2015.
Costume Designers Branch
Ruth E. Carter
Oscar Winner for Best Costume Design for “Black Panther,” and the first African American to win in her category. Oscar nominations for “Malcolm X” and “Amistad,” making her the first African American to be nominated in her category. Over 50 film credits including “Do the Right Thing,” “Selma,” “Dolemite is My Name,” and “Coming 2 America,” the Costume Designers Guild awarded her their Career Achievement Award in 2018. Ms. Carter holds an honorary doctorate from Boston’s Suffolk University.
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 “Bird Box.” Ms. Bier is co-chair of the International Feature Film category.
Ava DuVernay
Ms. DuVernay’s directorial work includes Best Picture nominee “Selma,” Best Documentary nominee “13th,” “A Wrinkle In Time,” “Middle Of Nowhere,” “I Will Follow,” “Queen Sugar” and her Emmy Award winning series “When They See Us.” She amplifies the work of Black artists, people of color and women of all kinds through her multi-platform arts collective, ARRAY.
Steven Spielberg
Mr. Spielberg is a 17-time Oscar nominee and has won Academy Awards for directing and producing “Schindler’s List” and for directing “Saving Private Ryan.” Additional 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 “Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time,” “The Case Against 8,” “Beah: A Black Woman Speaks,” “Foster,” and “Feminists: What Were They Thinking?”
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 "The Apollo," “God Loves Uganda,” and “Blackface.”
Executives Branch
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.
Donna Gigliotti
Ms. Gigliotti is one of only nine women to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. She received the 1998 Oscar for producing “Shakespeare In Love.” She received three additional Academy Award nominations for Best Picture: “Hidden Figures” (2016), “Silver Linings Playbook” (2013), and “The Reader”(2008). She is President of Tempesta Films, a film production company based in New York.
David Linde
Mr. Linde is Chief Executive Officer at Participant. He has held executive, founder, and producer roles at Lava Bear Films, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, and Good Machine. He also received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture for “Arrival” in 2017.
Film Editors Branch
Dody J. Dorn
Ms. Dorn earned an Oscar nomination for her work on “Memento.” She has also edited such features as “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Australia,” “End of Watch,” and “Fury.”
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.”
Stephen Rivkin
Mr. Rivkin earned an Oscar nomination for his work on “Avatar.” Other film editing credits include “Alita: Battle Angel,” the first three films of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, “Ali,” “The Hurricane,” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.”
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
Howard Berger
Mr. Berger won an Oscar for his makeup work on "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and was nominated for "Hitchcock.” His other feature credits include “Dances With Wolves,” “Lone Survivor,” “Kill Bill 1 & 2,” “The Green Mile,” and “Oz the Great and Powerful.”
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."
Linda Flowers
Ms. Flowers’s credits include Midway, There Will Be Blood, The Social Network, Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Iron Man 2, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Angels and Demons, and Fast and Furious 3,4,7 & 8.
Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Sid Ganis
Mr. Ganis is co-President (with wife and partner, Nancy Ganis) of Out of the Blue Entertainment, a film and television production company, a former key studio exec around the industry, and past president of the Academy. He is 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 and Communications, at Participant, 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 Searchlight Pictures, where she jointly 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
Laura 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
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."
Lynette Howell Taylor
Ms. Howell Taylor has produced over 25 films in the last 15 years, including Bradley Cooper's directorial debut “A Star is Born,” which received eight Academy Award nominations. Most recently, she served as Executive Producer on Derek Cianfrance’s HBO limited series “I Know This Much is True” as well as produced the 92nd Academy Awards. Her film credits include “Captain Fantastic,” “The Accountant,” and “Blue Valentine.”
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
Animation veteran Bonnie Arnold produced the Academy Award-nominated films “How to Train Your Dragon” and “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” Additional producing credits include “Toy Story,” “Tarzan,” as well as the live-action films, “Dances with Wolves” and “The Last Station.” She served as Co-President/President of Feature Animation at DreamWorks Animation (2015-17).
Jon Bloom
Mr. Bloom is an award-winning filmmaker, including his Oscar-nominated live-action short film, “Overnight Sensation,” which he produced and directed. He has created special montages for the Academy Awards Ceremony, The Governors’ Awards, and other events, as well as the first ever In Memoriam segment on the Oscars telecast. He has served 18 years on the Board of Governors.
Jennifer YUH Nelson
Ms. Yuh Nelson 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.”
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 worked on over 140 films. Her credits include “LaLaLand,” “Foxcatcher,” “Unstoppable,” “Amazing Spider-Man,” “Moneyball,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, ”Spy Game,“ “Man on Fire,” Pearl Harbor,” “Prince of Tides, “LethalWeapon2,” “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.
Rob Bredow
Rob Bredow is an Academy Award Nominated VFX Supervisor ("SOLO: A Star Wars Story") with credits dating back to "Independence Day." He serves as Executive Creative Director and Head of Industrial Light & Magic. He chairs the Academy Software Foundation, is a member of the Academy Science and Technology Council, and has previously served as CTO at Sony Pictures and Lucasfilm.
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,” “Big Eyes,” and “Dolemite is My Name.” Mr. Karaszewski is co-chair of the International Feature Film category. He won the Emmy, Golden Globe, PGA and WGA Award for “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
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 “Richard Jewell.”
Eric Roth
Mr. Roth won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for "Forrest Gump" and has been nominated for his screenplays of "The Insider," "Munich," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and "A Star is Born." He wrote Mr. Kurosawa's "Rhapsody in August," "The Horse Whisperer," "Ali," and Best Picture Nominee, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." He received the WGA Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Governors-at-Large
(Nominated by the President and elected by the board)
DeVon Franklin
Mr. Franklin, a member of the Executives Branch, is the former SVP of Production for Columbia Pictures Entertainment and now runs his own production company, Franklin Entertainment. He has produced the hit films “Breakthrough,” “The Star,” and “Miracles from Heaven.” He is also a New York Times bestselling author and minister.
Rodrigo García
Mr. García is a former cinematographer, a writer/director, and a member of the Directors Branch. Among his movies are "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her," "Nine Lives," "Mother and Child," and "Albert Nobbs." His pilot directing credits include "Carnivale," "Big Love," and "In Treatment."
Janet Yang
Ms. Yang, a member of the Producers Branch, began her career in China in distribution. Her extensive film and TV producting credits include “The Joy Luck Club,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “Shanghai Calling,” “High Crimes,” “Dark Matter,” and “Zero Effect.” She won an Emmy for the HBO film, “Indictment: The McMartin Trial.” Her upcoming films include the animated feature, “Over the Moon.”
nicholl comittee - Nicholl Comittee
Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Chair – Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
John Bailey
Cinematographers Branch
Bobbi Banks
Sound Branch
Eric Heisserer
Writers Branch
Larry Karaszewski
Writers Branch
Julie Lynn
Producers Branch
William Mechanic
Executives Branch
Dan Petrie, Jr.
Writers Branch
James Plannette
Members-at-Large
Steven Poster
Cinematographers Branch
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