Yang has replaced David Rubin, who has served as president for the past three years.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has appointed Hollywood producer Janet Yang as its 36th president. She is the first Asian person ever to hold this position.
Yang is beginning her first term as president and her second term as a Governor-at-Large, a position for which she was nominated by the sitting Academy President and elected by the Board of Governors. Gigliotti, Karaszewski, Linde, Mussenden and Thomas were re-elected as officers. It will be the first officer stint for Dorman, Howell Taylor and Taylor-Coleman.
Yang’s film-producing credits include The Joy Luck Club, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Zero Effect, Shanghai Calling and the Oscar-nominated animated feature Over the Moon. She won an Emmy for the HBO film Indictment: The McMartin Trial.
A member of the Academy’s Producers Branch since 2002, Yang most recently served on the board as vice president and chair of the Membership Committee and prior to that, the Membership and Governance Committee. She is also co-chair of the Academy’s Asian Affinity Group.
Speaking about the appointment, Bill Kramer, CEO of Academy, said: “Janet is a tremendously dedicated and strategic leader who has an incredible record of service at the Academy. She has been instrumental in launching and elevating several Academy initiatives on membership recruitment, governance, equity, diversity, and inclusion. I am thrilled that she is taking on the esteemed role of Academy President and look forward to working closely with her on our shared vision to serve our membership, celebrate the collaborative arts and sciences of motion pictures, and inspire the next generation of filmmakers.”
