Janet Yang
Janet Yang has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group’s board of governors announced on Aug. 2—making her the first Asian American to lead the film academy.
Yang, the 66-year-old producer of “The Joy Luck Club,” becomes the fourth woman to lead the organization behind the Oscars. Yang succeeds outgoing president David Rubin, the veteran casting director, who is stepping down after three years due to term limits.
Yang will be tasked with shepherding the academy through continued evolution in the film industry and with stabilizing the Academy Awards, which in recent years have been beset by scandal and declining ratings.
A daughter of Chinese immigrants, Yang has served on the academy’s board of governors since 2019 as one of three governors-at-large who were added following the (hashtag)OscarsSoWhite scandal to help boost inclusion in the film academy.