Guillermo del Toro, David Leitch Among New Governors Elected Motion Picture Academy’s Board

Three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro has been elected for the first time to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors in the Directors branch. Another director, David Leitch, who was instrumental in pushing for the new Stunts category coming in 2028, also will be joining the board for the first time, but in the newly expanded Production and Technology branch.

These were just two of the new members announced today as the Academy revealed its new Board Of Governors for the 2026-27 term, including those who were elected for the first time, re-elected, returning after a hiatus or continuing. The governors will take office at the first scheduled board meeting of the new term.

There are some significant changes going into effect with this session.

In February 2026, the board approved a bylaws amendment that ensures equity in board representation among branches. As of the 2026-27 board year, all 19 Academy branches will have three branch-elected governors, adding additional governors to the Animation, Production and Technology and Short Films branches. To establish staggered terms, governors in these three branches were elected to one-, two- or three-year terms this year. Elections in 2027 will follow the standard protocol of one governor election per branch, with three-year terms.

The incumbent governors re-elected to the board are:

Lou Diamond Phillips, Actors branch

Jinko Gotoh, Animation branch

Daniel Orlandi, Costume Designers branch

Hannah Minghella, Executives branch

David Dinerstein, Marketing and Public Relations branch

Wendy Aylsworth, Production and Technology branch

Kalina Ivanov, Production Design branch

Mark P. Stoeckinger, Sound branch

Dana Stevens, Writers branch

Elected to the board for the first time were:

Michael Goi, Cinematographers branch

Guillermo del Toro, Directors branch

Anne Goursaud, Film Editors branch

Patricia Dehaney, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists branch

Kris Bowers, Music branch

Fred Berger, Producers branch

Vic Armstrong, Production and Technology branch

David Leitch, Production and Technology branch

Kim Magnusson, Short Films branch

Returning to the Board after a hiatus are:

Bonnie Arnold, Animation branch

Bernard Telsey, Casting Directors branch

Roger Ross Williams, Documentary branch

Bob Rogers, Short Films branch

Paul Debevec, Visual Effects branch

In the Animation branch, Arnold was elected to serve a three-year term, and Gotoh was elected to serve a one-year term.

In the Production and Technology branch, Aylsworth was elected to serve a three-year term, Armstrong was elected to serve a two-year term, and the aforementioned Leitch was elected to serve a one-year term.

In the Short Films branch, Magnusson was elected to serve a three-year term, and Rogers was elected to serve a two-year term.

They will join returning governors 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.

Academy Governors, including the board-elected governors-at-large, may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms for a lifetime maximum of 12 years. If a governor elected in a 2026 branch election serves a term of fewer than three years, that term will not apply against governor term limits.

As a result of this election, the board comprises 47% women and 32% from underrepresented communities, based on self-reporting.

In accordance with a bylaws amendment approved earlier in 2026, a sitting Academy president may run for re-election until they have served up to four consecutive one-year terms in the role, even if they would normally be required to take a two-year hiatus after serving two governor terms. In this case, such president serves as an ex officio governor until the completion of their term. This rule directly affects current President Lynette Howell Taylor, who otherwise would have not been allowed to run for re-election after her first term ends this year but now will be allowed for up to the next three one-year terms.