The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its new Board of Governors for the 2026-2027 term, including current members, newcomers, and those returning to the board after a hiatus.
Notable among the newcomers are Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro and filmmaker David Leitch, who, along with his wife and producing partner Kelly McCormick, was a leading proponent of the recently announced Academy Award for Best Stunt.
Another change to the overall composition of the Board of Governors is a charter amendment introduced in February, which establishes equal representation among the various departments on the board. Beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, each of the Academy's 19 departments will have three elected governors, adding new governors to the Animation, Production and Technology, and Short Film departments.
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To establish a staggered term system, governors in these three branches of government were elected this year for one-, two-, or three-year terms. In the Animation branch, Bonnie Arnold was elected to a three-year term, while Jinko Goto was elected to a one-year term. In the Production and Technology branch, Wendy Aylesworth was elected to a three-year term, Vic Armstrong to a two-year term, and Leitch to a one-year term. And in the Short Film branch, Kim Magnusson was elected to a three-year term, while Bob Rogers was elected to a two-year term.
The 2027 elections will be held according to the standard protocol: the election of one governor from each branch of government, with a term of office of three years.
Governors, including those elected by the Council, may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year break, after which the term is extended for two additional three-year terms, for a maximum of 12 years. If a governor elected in the 2026 election serves less than three years, that term will not count against the governor's term limits.
Based on the results of these elections, according to self-reporting, the Council is composed of 47 percent women and 32 percent representatives of underrepresented communities.
The current members of the board of directors were re-elected to the management board (in alphabetical order by branch of government):
Lou Diamond Phillips, Actors' Department
Jinko Goto, Animation Department
Daniel Orlandi, Costume Design Department
Hannah Minghella, Executive Relations
David Dinerstein, Marketing and Public Relations
Wendy Aylesworth, Manufacturing and Technology.
Kalina Ivanova, Production Design Department
Mark P. Stockinger, Sound Division.
Dana Stevens, Writers' Department
First elected to the board (in alphabetical order by department):
Michael Goy, Cinematography Department
Guillermo del Toro, Director's Office
Anne Goursaud, Film Editing Department
Patricia Dehaney, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists.
Chris Bowers, Music Department
Fred Berger, Production Department
Vic Armstrong, Manufacturing and Technology
David Leitch, Manufacturing and Technology
Kim Magnusson, Short Film Department
Returning to the Council after the break (in alphabetical order by branch of government):
Bonnie Arnold, Animation Department
Bernard Telsey, Casting Directors Department
Roger Ross Williams, Documentary Film Division
Bob Rogers, Short Film Division
Paul Debevec, Visual Effects Department
They will be joined by returning Governors Pam Abdi, Haifaa al-Mansour, Leslie Barber, K.K. Barrett, Dion Beebe, Jason Blum, Brooke Breton, Effie T. Brown, Carter Burwell, Paul Cameron, Patricia Cardoso, Eduardo Castro, Annie Chang, Peter Devlin, Jennifer Fox, Chris Hegedus, Richard Hicks, Larry Karaszewski, Laura K. Kim, Christina Kounelias, Peter Kujawski, Marlee Matlin, Isis Mussenden, Andy Nelson, Missy Parker, Gerald Quist, Jason Reitman, Nancy Richardson, Andrew Roberts, Howard A. Rodman, Terilyn A. Shropshire, Chris Tashima, Kim Taylor-Coleman, Jin Jien, Marlon West, Gigi Williams, and Rita Wilson.