Mister President

Tom Sherak, a representative in the executive branch of the Academy of Moton Picture Arts and Sciences, has been elected its new president.

Sid Ganis has served the maximum time as AMPAS president (four consecutive one-year terms), and will be on his way out at the end of this year.

I don't know much about AMPAS politics, so I'll leave most of this news to the press release, but I am pleased that Tom Hanks was elected first vice-president, and John Lasseter got an officer's gig as secretary.

The full press release:

Beverly Hills, CA (August 18, 2009) — Tom Sherak was elected president of
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tuesday night (8/18) by the
organization’s Board of Governors.

Sherak, who is beginning his seventh year as a governor representing
the Executives Branch, has served as treasurer of the Academy during the past
year. He succeeds Sid Ganis, who had served the maximum four consecutive
one-year terms in the office.

In addition, Actors Branch governor Tom Hanks was elected first vice
president; Producers Branch governor Kathleen Kennedy and Writers Branch
governor Phil Robinson were elected to vice presidents posts; Producers Branch
governor Hawk Koch was elected treasurer; and Short Films and Feature Animation
Branch governor John Lasseter was elected secretary. Ganis, representing the
Public Relations Branch, will serve as immediate past president.

These will be the first officer stints for Lasseter and Robinson. Hanks
had previously served as vice president and treasurer. Koch had previously
served one term as vice president. This will be Kennedy’s second consecutive
term as vice president.

Sherak, a marketing, distribution and production executive with more
than four decades in the motion picture industry, is currently a consultant for
Marvel Studios.

Previously, Sherak was a partner at Revolution Studios where he oversaw
the release of more than 40 films including “Black Hawk Down,” “Anger
Management,” “Rent” and “Across the Universe.”

Prior to joining Revolution, Sherak was chairman of Twentieth Century
Domestic Film Group and served as senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed
Entertainment. Previously, he held various positions at Fox, including senior
executive vice president, where he oversaw the distribution and post-production
of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Speed” and “Independence Day,” among others.

In 1990 Sherak was named executive vice president of Twentieth Century
Fox. Prior to that he was president of domestic distribution and marketing for
Fox, where launched such films as “Romancing the Stone,” “Aliens,” “Wall
Street,” “Die Hard” and “Working Girl.” He began his career in the industry at
Paramount Pictures in 1970.

Academy board members serve three-year terms, while officers serve
one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive terms in any one
office.