Former Oingo Boingo keyboardist Richard Gibbs, now a successful film composer and music producer, was elected to the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Thursday (June 22). He replaces Charles Bernstein as one of the music branch’s three representatives on the board. The other two are returning governors Lesley Barber and Charles Fox.
Gibbs, 67, was a member of Oingo Boingo from 1980 to 1984, during which time the band earned entries on the Billboard 200 for its EP Oingo Boingo and its first three studio albums, Only a Lad, Nothing to Fear and Good for Your Soul. Gibbs was also a session player, performing on more than 150 albums for such artists as War, Tom Waits, Robert Palmer and Aretha Franklin.
Like his former Oingo Boingo bandmate Danny Elfman, Gibbs has segued into scoring movies and television shows. He has composed the scores for more than 60 films, including Dr. Dolittle, Say Anything… and Queen of the Damned, and served as musical director and composer for various television shows, including Muppets Tonight!, The Simpsons, and Battlestar Galactica.
Based on the result of this election, the Academy’s 2023-24 board of governors comprises 53% women. The Academy further reports that 25% belong to an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.
The Academy’s 18 branches are each represented by three governors, except for the recently established production and technology branch, which is represented by a single governor. Governors and the board-appointed governors-at-large may serve up to two three-year terms, 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.
The board of governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
Governors attend six to eight board meetings annually – in-person or by video conference when out-of-town. Each governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.
The newly-elected governors will take office at the first scheduled board meeting of the new term. Here’s a full list of the Academy’s 2023–24 board of governors, broken down into four categories.
Incumbent governors re-elected to the board:
Rob Bredow, visual effects branch
Ava DuVernay, directors branch
Linda Flowers, makeup artists and hairstylists branch
Lynette Howell Taylor, producers branch
Stephen Rivkin, film editors branch
Debra Zane, casting directors branch
Elected for the first time:
Wendy Aylsworth, production and technology branch
David I. Dinerstein, marketing and public relations branch
Richard Gibbs, music branch
Jinko Gotoh, short films and feature animation branch
Kalina Ivanov, production design branch
Simon Kilmurry, documentary branch
Hannah Minghella, executives branch
Daniel Orlandi, costume designers branch
Lou Diamond Phillips, actors branch
Dana Stevens, writers branch
Mark P. Stoeckinger, sound branch
Returning after a hiatus:
Ellen Kuras, cinematographers branch
Governors who are mid-term:
Pam Abdy, executives branch
Bonnie Arnold, short films and feature animation branch
Lesley Barber, music branch
Dion Beebe, cinematographers branch
Howard Berger, makeup artists and hairstylists branch
Susanne Bier, directors branch
Jason Blum, producers branch
Gary C. Bourgeois, sound branch
Brooke Breton, visual effects branch
Paul Cameron, cinematographers branch
Ruth E. Carter, costume designers branch
Eduardo Castro, costume designers branch
Megan Colligan, marketing and public relations branch
Bill Corso, makeup artists and hairstylists branch
Paul Debevec, visual effects branch
Peter Devlin, sound branch
Tom Duffield, production design branch
Charles Fox, music branch
DeVon Franklin, governor-at-large
Rodrigo García, governor-at-large
Donna Gigliotti, executives branch
Chris Hegedus, documentary branch
Richard Hicks, casting directors branch
Laura C. Kim, marketing and public relations branch
Marlee Matlin, actors branch
Missy Parker, production design branch
Jason Reitman, directors branch
Nancy Richardson, film editors branch
Howard A. Rodman, writers branch
Eric Roth, writers branch
Terilyn A. Shropshire, film editors branch
Kim Taylor-Coleman, casting directors branch
Jennifer Todd, producers branch
Jean Tsien, documentary branch
Marlon West, short films and feature animation branch
Rita Wilson, actors branch
Janet Yang, governor-at-large
