The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its newly elected Board of Governors for the 2026-2027 term, a roster that blends fresh faces with familiar names returning to the fold. Composer Kris Bowers joins the board for the first time, alongside returning incumbents like actor Lou Diamond Phillips and executive Hannah Minghella, as well as animation and documentary veterans Bonnie Arnold and Roger Ross Williams, who are rejoining after a hiatus.
The new term also brings a structural overhaul to the board. Under a bylaws amendment approved in February, all 19 Academy branches will now have three branch-elected governors each, expanding the Animation, Production and Technology, and Short Films branches. The change adds five seats to the board, bringing its total membership to 60. To stagger the transition, governors elected to those three expanded branches this year received one-, two- or three-year terms, with the process reverting to the standard one-governor-per-branch, three-year cycle starting in 2027.
Bowers, an Oscar winner for Best Documentary Short Film for The Last Repair Shop, has built a wide-ranging career as a composer and pianist. His television work includes scores for Bridgerton, Mrs. America, Dear White People, When They See Us and Secret Invasion, while his film credits include Green Book, King Richard, The Color Purple and The Wild Robot. In 2026 alone, he composed an original score for the Broadway revival of Proof, which marked the Broadway debuts of Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri, alongside scoring work on the animated film GOAT and the Prime series Spider-Noir.
Among the incumbents reelected to another term are Phillips of the Actors Branch, Jinko Gotoh of the Animation Branch, Daniel Orlandi of the Costume Designers Branch, Minghella of the Executives Branch, David Dinerstein of the Marketing and Public Relations Branch, Wendy Aylsworth of the Production and Technology Branch, Kalina Ivanov of the Production Design Branch, Mark P. Stoeckinger of the Sound Branch and Dana Stevens of the Writers Branch.
Newly elected to the board for the first time are Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro in the Directors Branch, Michael Goi in the Cinematographers Branch, Anne Goursaud in the Film Editors Branch, Patricia Dehaney in the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch, Bowers in the Music Branch, Fred Berger in the Producers Branch, Vic Armstrong and David Leitch in the Production and Technology Branch, and Kim Magnusson in the Short Films Branch.
Rejoining the board after time away are Arnold in the Animation Branch, Bernard Telsey in the Casting Directors Branch, Williams in the Documentary Branch, Bob Rogers in the Short Films Branch and Paul Debevec in the Visual Effects Branch.
Because of the expansion, several governors landed shortened terms to help stagger the cycle. In the Animation Branch, Arnold was elected to three years and Gotoh to one. In the Production and Technology Branch, Aylsworth will serve three years, Armstrong two and Leitch one. In the Short Films Branch, Magnusson was elected for three years and Rogers for two.
These newly elected and returning governors join continuing board members Pam Abdy, Haifaa al-Mansour, Lesley 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 C. 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, Jean Tsien, Marlon West, Gigi Williams and Rita Wilson.
As a result of this year’s elections, the board is composed of 47 percent women and 32 percent members from underrepresented communities, based on self-reporting.
Under Academy bylaws, governors, including board-elected governors-at-large, may serve up to two three-year terms, consecutive or non-consecutive, followed by a mandatory two-year hiatus, after which they become eligible for up to two additional terms, for a lifetime maximum of 12 years. Terms shorter than three years served as a result of this year’s branch elections will not count against those limits. A separate amendment approved earlier this year allows a sitting Academy president to run for reelection for up to four consecutive one-year terms, even if a hiatus would otherwise apply, with that president serving as an ex officio governor through the end of the term.
The Board of Governors is responsible for setting the Academy’s strategic direction, safeguarding its financial health and ensuring it fulfills its mission. The newly elected governors will take office at the first scheduled board meeting of the new term.
The announcement comes shortly after the board revealed its honorees for the 17th Governors Awards. Honorary Oscars will go to actress Glenn Close, director Ridley Scott and Disney’s first Black animator Floyd Norman, while producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.