Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro is adding a new entry to his résumé: Academy Governor.
The Frankenstein filmmaker has been elected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors for the 2026–27 term, representing the Directors Branch. The Academy announced the election results on Monday, noting that the newly appointed governors will officially take office at the first scheduled board meeting of the upcoming term.
Del Toro’s high-profile addition comes alongside a structural shift for the organization. In February, the board approved a bylaws amendment designed to establish equity in board representation across all 19 Academy branches. Starting with this 2026–27 term, every single branch will feature three branch-elected governors.
To achieve this, additional leadership seats were added to the Animation, Production and Technology, and Short Films branches. Del Toro, a three-time Oscar winner (Best Picture and Director for The Shape of Water, Best Animated Feature for Pinocchio), joins a mix of freshman, returning, and reelected members. See full list below:
Incumbent governors reelected to the board (alphabetically by branch):
Lou Diamond Phillips, Actors Branch
Jinko Gotoh, Animation Branch
Daniel Orlandi, Costume Designers Branch
Hannah Minghella, Executives Branch
David Dinerstein, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Wendy Aylsworth, Production and Technology Branch
Kalina Ivanov, Production Design Branch
Mark P. Stoeckinger, Sound Branch
Dana Stevens, Writers Branch
Elected to the Board for the first time (alphabetically by branch):
Michael Goi, Cinematographers Branch
Guillermo del Toro, Directors Branch
Anne Goursaud, Film Editors Branch
Patricia Dehaney, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
Kris Bowers, Music Branch
Fred Berger, Producers Branch
Vic Armstrong, Production and Technology Branch
David Leitch, Production and Technology Branch
Kim Magnusson, Short Films Branch
Returning to the Board after a hiatus (alphabetically by branch):
Bonnie Arnold, Animation Branch
Bernard Telsey, Casting Directors Branch
Roger Ross Williams, Documentary Branch
Bob Rogers, Short Films Branch
Paul Debevec, Visual Effects Branch
