Groundbreaker Cheryl Boone Isaac: 1st African-American Academy president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Isaacs will be the first African-American in 86-year history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Cheryl Boone Isaacs, a veteran film marketer, was named the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on August 1, 2013. The Academy, which produces the annual Oscar ceremony, has not had a female president since 1983, and has never had an African-American president in its 86-year history. Ms. Isaacs succeeds Hawk Koch, who served for only one year but was precluded by an elaborate term-limits system from running again. A president may serve for four successive terms, but must come from the governing board, and may not run again if — as with Mr. Koch — the permitted period as a governor has expired. As she steps into the presidency, Ms. Isaacs, who may serve for as many as four years, faces decisions that include those surrounding the renewal of contracts for the Academy's top staff executives. Those are Dawn Hudson, the chief executive of...