Janet Young was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences –

Janet YoungQueen, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, was elected the 36th president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in its 95-year history.

The 66-year-old actor, who has been tapped into the entertainment world by major actors in the Chinese and Hollywood film industries to make films like Sun Empire Before becoming a film producer among them lucky club s The People Against Larry FlyntThere is only the fourth woman (following Bette Davis, Faye Kanin s Cheryl Boone Isaacs) and the second person of color (after Boone Isaacs) to be endorsed by the Academy board for a senior board position.

Producers Guild member since 2002, Young beat Devon Franklin, a member of the executive branch since 2016. Both candidates have served on the Academy’s Board of Governors as Governors-at-Large since 2019. Following the #OscarsSoWhite scandal, three seats were added to the board of governors-general, reserved for individuals other than whites or men, charged with advocating for inclusion on the board. They are the only governors who are not elected by their branch members, but are appointed by the president and confirmed by the council. Young is the first governor to hold the office of president.

young is successful David RubinThe casting director, who served as president after being elected in 2019 but was forced by term limits to step down from the board (and thus the presidency) for at least two years, after which he will be eligible for a final. A three-year term on the board (and potentially as chairman; directors are elected for one-year terms) before reaching a maximum of 12 years on the board.

Since the position of President of the Academy is not a paid or full-time job (unlike the newly held position of Executive Director of the Academy Bill KramerYang is expected to remain at the helm of Janet Yang Productions, which develops Asian-themed film projects such as animated films. on the moonwhich was nominated for an Oscar in 2021. His previous work also won him Golden Globe and Emmy awards.

“Janet is an extremely dedicated and strategic leader with an incredible track record in academia,” Kramer said in a statement. “He has been instrumental in launching and advancing several Academy initiatives on membership recruitment, governance, equity, diversity and inclusion. I am delighted that he takes on the well-deserved role of President of the Academy and I look forward to working closely with him on our shared vision of serving our members, celebrating the shared art and science of film, and inspiring the next generation of filmmakers. .

Known in Hollywood as “the godfather of Asian-Americans in the industry,” Young, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia University, has long spent his extracurricular time helping Asians and Asian-Americans. Get ahead in business. Since then he has been particularly active in academia. chris rock Asian children were caught in the 2016 Oscars broadcast, uniting Academy members of Asian descent to lean on the organization’s leadership to improve. Young now leads the board’s Asian and Asian-American Affinity Group.

Last year, Young, like Franklin, served on his branch’s executive committee and as one of the board’s eight vice presidents. He oversaw the Governance and Board Membership Committee, which reviews requests for new members and issues that arise with current members. In the past, he has also participated in the Academy’s Nicholl Scholarship Initiative and served on the Council’s Governance Task Force.

In June, he was honored at the Museum of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where a column was dedicated and a dinner was held in his honor. It was widely speculated, given the impressive nature of the evening (which included a multimedia presentation and several speakers about his life and career), that the presidential election could be in his sights, and given the high turnout from Academy board members. Other strong players in the industry who can make a profit.

Also elected as directors on Tuesday:

These will be Dorman’s first officers, Howell Taylor and Taylor-Coleman.