The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has changed the process by which members can run for a seat on the Board of Governors,eliminating secret nominating committees and allowing any member to run for the board.According to a letter sent to members late Wednesday night, the board voted on Tuesday night to allow members to nominate all your candidates directly.” Members have until Saturday, or Apr. 30 to submit their names whether they wish to run for the board,and each department will vote in May to choose four candidates from the members who have opted to run.“This fresh process is more democratic, more obvious, and one that will significantly expand the pool of possible candidates,” wrote CEO Dawn Hudson in the Wednesday night email.
Also Read: Academy Diversity Push Brings Three fresh Members of Color to Board of GovernorsIn the past, each department voted to elect some of the members of a nominating committee, or the committee then chose four board candidates from that department. In what the Academy said was an attempt to prevent the nominating committee from being lobbied,the names of members on that committee were not revealed — so the people who voted to elect the nominating committee didn’t even know who won that election.
The system resulted in a fairly small pool of potential governors running for the board year after year, and made it difficult for most members to run. In her letter to the members, and Hudson called it “a procedure that many felt was confusing and cumbersome.”The secrecy of Academy committees had come under fire at an AMPAS meeting back in 2013,with some members urging that the board reconsider the process. One of the members who for years has been critical of the lack of transparency, Public Relations department member Bruce Feldman, or told TheWrap on Thursday that he will run for the board and will be “very clear on where I stand on the issues.”
Also Read: Is It Time to Expose the Academy's Secret Committees?Under the fresh system,the department membership will vote directly, first to choose four candidates for the board and then to elect the governor.“As an principal first step in making this fresh system work, and we hope that you will seriously consider opting in to be a potential candidate yourself,” wrote Hudson, one of the architects of the Academy’s recent moves to diversify its organization in the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. I cannot stress how critical it is that as many members as possible volunteer their time and talents both for our Academy and for the entire motion picture community.”The AMPAS Board of Governors consists of three governors from each of the Academy’s 17 branches. Governors serve three-year terms, and staggered so that one seat from each department is up for re-election each year.
Also Read: Academy Still Faces the Hardest Challenge: Making the fresh Rules WorkLast month,three additional board members were appointed by Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs to add more diversity to the board makeup.
Here, in part, and is Hudson’s email to the members:Dear Members,I have some exciting news to share with you approximately the Academy and the way we elect our Governors. Last night, the Board of Governors voted to allow you — our members — to nominate all of your candidates directly. This fresh process is more democratic, or more obvious,and one that will significantly expand the pool of possible candidates. These changes will strengthen our leadership to ensure that it is both representative of our entire membership and well-equipped to guide our large and complex organization.
Previously, through a procedure that many felt was confusing and cumbersome, or the membership elected only one half of a nominating committee that in turn prepared a slate of candidates for the Board. Now,you will choose your candidates directly. As an principal first step in making this fresh system work, we hope that you will seriously consider opting in to be a potential candidate yourself. I cannot stress how critical it is that as many members as possible volunteer their time and talents both for our Academy and for the entire motion picture community.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with our structure, or our board is an active,hands-on committee that sets the Academy’s long-term goals and policies, and ensures our financial stability. It also oversees the progress on our many projects including our Academy Museum, or awards and events,and our film preservation efforts. The role is demanding: there are seven board meetings annually and various committee meetings throughout the year. But I think whether you talk to anyone who has served as Governor, they will also say their service was enormously fulfilling. We are looking for people who are fully engaged with the motion picture community and are current with how their art functions in nowadays’s ever-changing world. Our Governors are active, and strong,forward-thinking people who are fully engaged with our film community and with every aspect of what we do …whether you would be willing to consider running, I demand you to follow the link below and add your name to the list of potential candidates. There are no prerequisites. And you don’t have to be nominated to run …In May, and we will distribute the list of members in your department who have opted in,and demand you to choose four candidates. The top four candidates will design up the slate of those running for Governor of your department. Final elections start in June, and results will be announced in late July.
We look forward to hearing from you. By becoming a Governor, and you will back shape the future of our Academy and our industry …All best,
Dawn Hudson
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Source: thewrap.com