Robert A. Daly Is New AFI Board of Directors Chair
PRESS RELEASE
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced former Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Robert A. Daly has been elected Chair of the AFI Board of Directors. The Board of Directors acts as an executive committee, setting the institute’s priorities and overseeing its programs. Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO of the Sony Corporation, remains Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees.
Daly succeeds Jon Avnet and John Cooke, who served with distinction as Co-Chairs for the Board of Directors for 8 years. Both men remain on as Directors, and Avnet continues on as Vice-Chair of the Trustees.
Also voted to return to the AFI Board of Trustees were leaders from the motion picture and television communities including Robert Bennett, Allen Bernstein, Richard Frank, Kathleen Kennedy, John Hendricks, Barry Meyer, Leslie Moonves, Jill Sackler, and Steven Spielberg.
AFI Trustees must rotate off the Board for at least one year after serving three three-year terms, at which time they are eligible to be reelected for a three-year term.
New leaders Taylor Hackford, President, Directors Guild of America; Ken Howard, President, Screen Actors Guild; Barbara Phillips, President, AFI Associates; Tom Sherak, President, AMPAS; and John Wells, President, Writers Guild of America, West were also appointed as ex-officio members of the AFI Trustees.
AFI Trustee Biographies
Robert Bennett
Inducted into Broadcasting & Cable Magazine’s Hall of Fame in 1994, Bennett served as Metromedia’s President from 1982-1984 before acquiring full ownership of Trans Atlantic Entertainment in 1991. Bennett first joined the AFI Board in 1983.
Allen Bernstein
Bernstein is President of Endeavor Restaurant Group and Trustee Emeritus of Morton’s Restaurant Group. He previously served on the AFI Board from 1999 – 2008.
Richard Frank
Former President of Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Television, Frank served previously on the AFI Board from 1991 – 2008.
Kathleen Kennedy
Co-founder of The Kennedy/Marshall Company, among Kennedy’s many producing credits are three of the highest-grossing films in motion picture history: E.T: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, JURASSIC PARK and THE SIXTH SENSE. Kennedy first joined the AFI Board in 1994.
John Hendricks
The founder and chairman of Discovery Communications, Inc., Hendricks created the Discovery Channel in 1982. Hendricks served previously on the AFI Board from 1999 – 2008.
Barry Meyer
Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. since 1999, Meyer is a 37-year veteran of the studio. Meyer first joined the AFI Board in 1999.
Leslie Moonves,
Chairman and CEO of CBS since 2003, Moonves has been at CBS since 1995 when he joined the company as President of CBS Entertainment. Moonves served previously on the board from 1997 – 2008.
Jill Sackler
The widow of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, Jill Sackler continues to oversee the many projects of the Sackler Foundation, including the Sackler Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution and The Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University. Sackler served previously on the AFI Board from 1986 – 2008.
Steven Spielberg
One of the most acclaimed directors and producers of the motion picture, Spielberg is a recipient of the 1995 AFI Life Achievement Award and a previous Trustee whose first term began in 1986.
Ex-Officio Trustees
Taylor Hackford, President, Directors Guild of America
Director and producer, Hackford is mostly widely known for directing RAY, LA BAMBA and AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN. Hackford also serves on the AFI Conservatory Advisory Board.
Ken Howard, President, Screen Actors Guild
Recently a winner of an Emmy Award for his performance in HBO’s GREY GARDENS, Howard is a prolific character actor known for roles both in film (MICHAEL CLAYTON) and television (THE WHITE SHADOW).
Barbara Phillips, President, AFI Associates
A fundraising force on behalf of AFI for 25 years, Phillips is a partner with her husband in the development, design and building of single-family custom homes in Los Angeles.
Tom Sherak, President, AMPAS
Former partner at Revolution Studios and Chairman of Twentieth Century Domestic Film Group, Sherak is a consultant for Marvel Pictures.
John Wells, President, Writers Guild of America, West
Prolific writer and producer in both film and television, Wells is perhaps best known for E.R. and THE WEST WING.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media.
AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned AFI Conservatory, preserves the legacy of America’s film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archives, explores new digital technologies at the AFI Digital Content Lab and honors artists and their work through a variety of programs and special events.
For 37 years, the AFI Life Achievement Award has remained the highest honor for a career in film. AFI also honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year at AFI Awards, the institute’s almanac for the 21st century, while AFI’s 100 Years… series has introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers. And as the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI’s festivals include AFI FEST presented by Audi in Los Angeles and AFI-Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS documentary film festival in Silver Spring, Maryland. AFI exhibition also offers year-round programming at the ArcLight Cinemas and Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in the Washington DC, area. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.
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