Cheryl Boone Isaacs (courtesy whittier.edu)
By Gregg Kilday
Cheryl Boone Isaacs has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s board of governors. The Academy announced her election Tuesday night via Twitter.
Boone Isaacs, a marketing executive who has served stints at Paramount and New Line, is the first African-American to head the 86-year-old Academy and only the third woman to serve as president. Actress Bette Davis held the post for just two months in 1941, and screenwriter Fay Kanin served for four years from 1979-83.
In addition at the July 30 board of governors meeting, John Lasseter was elected first vice president; Jeffrey Kurland and Leonard Engelman were elected to vp posts; Dick Cook was elected treasurer; and Phil Robinson was elected secretary.
Boone Isaacs succeeds Hawk Koch, who served as Academy president for the past year, but ran up against term limits after completing nine successive years on the board. A longtime Academy insider, Boone Isaacs represents the public relations branch on the board and is currently serving her 21st year as a governor, having returned to the board in 2011 after a hiatus. For the past year, she served as first vp while also producing the fourth annual Governors Awards in December.
Boone Isaacs currently heads CBI Enterprises, where she has consulted on such films as The Artist, The King’s Speech and Precious. She previously served as president of theatrical marketing for New Line Cinema and before that executive vp worldwide publicity at Paramount Pictures.
soulbrotherspeaks.com 