Nancy Ward has been selected as the Visual Effects Society’s new executive director.
Ward, who joined VES in 2014 as the organization’s program and development director, was appointed interim executive director upon the retirement of Eric Roth in September 2022. Roth had served as leader of the organization for nearly 20 years.
The VES Board of Directors voted on the selection of Ward at the culmination of a comprehensive search process, guided under the leadership of VES chair Lisa Cooke. Ward’s elevation to executive director is effective immediately.
Cooke stated, “Nancy has a passion for the VES and a vision to further uplift the Society and bring it to the forefront of the global entertainment community. She has earned a tremendous reputation among the Board, staff, Sections, worldwide membership and industry partners, and we are confident that the VES will achieve new heights under her leadership. I am thrilled to have someone of Nancy’s caliber to helm our next chapter.”
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as executive director of the Visual Effects Society,” said Ward. “It’s an enormous privilege to connect, educate, honor and celebrate the hardest working – and probably most underappreciated professionals – in entertainment, around the world. The VES is a beacon of creative and technological innovation and excellence, and it is my intention to further grow the Society into a powerful resource that is recognized and respected in all corners of the globe. I look forward to building on the strong foundation created by Eric Roth, and helping the Society cement its position as a leading voice at the epicenter of the entertainment industry.
Members of the VES Executive Director Search Committee shared the following about Ward’s selection:
“The VES is extremely lucky to have had Nancy among the significant pool of candidates seeking this important role,” said chair emeritus Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. “At this pivotal time in the industry, we are excited to work together to take the Society to the next level with Nancy at the helm.”
“Nancy has a clear vision for carrying the VES forward, focused around growth, continuing education, increased visibility and service to our membership,” said 2nd vice chair Susan Thurmond O’Neal. “Since she joined the organization, Nancy has deeply invested in the Society and helped achieve some of our longstanding goals, and I know she will continue that trajectory of success.”
The Search Committee also included 1st vice chair Emma Clifton Perry, VES secretary Rita Cahill and chair emeritus Mike Chambers, VES.
In her capacity as VES program and development director, Ward oversaw direct fundraising, partnerships, alliances and new programs. Her accomplishments include: driving annual sponsorship revenue; overseeing and directing the publishing team for VFX Voice, the Society’s flagship, award-winning print and digital magazine; spearheading initiatives around diversity, equity and inclusion, virtual production and women who lead VFX; overseeing the annual VES Honors Celebration, VES New York Awards Celebration and other VES and Section events; and leading the VES Archives initiative and development of the Society’s forthcoming VES digital museum.
Prior to joining the VES, Ward spent more than a decade in advertising, direct marketing, brand identity and business development, managing successful multi-million-dollar campaigns – as both a client and an ad agency account manager – for General Motors, Taco Bell, Mattel, office products, financial services companies and various nonprofits.
The Grammys’ voting body is more diverse, with 66% new members. What does it mean for the awards?
For years, the Grammy Awards have been criticized over a lack of diversity — artists of color and women left out of top prizes; rap and contemporary R&B stars ignored — a reflection of the Recording Academy's electorate. An evolving voting body, 66% of whom have joined in the last five years, is working to remedy that.
At last year's awards, women dominated the major categories; every televised competitive Grammy went to at least one woman. It stems from a commitment the Recording Academy made five years ago: In 2019, the Academy announced it would add 2,500 women to its voting body by 2025. Under the Grammys' new membership model, the Recording Academy has surpassed that figure ahead of the deadline: More than 3,000 female voting members have been added, it announced Thursday.
"It's definitely something that we're all very proud of," Harvey Mason jr., academy president and CEO, told The Associated Press. "It tells me that we were severely underrepresented in that area."
Reform at the Record Academy dates back to the creation of a task force focused on inclusion and diversity after a previous CEO, Neil Portnow, made comments belittling women at the height of the #MeToo movement.
Since 2019, approximately 8,700 new members have been added to the voting body. In total, there are now more than 16,000 members and more than 13,000 of them are voting members, up from about 14,000 in 2023 (11,000 of which were voting members). In that time, the academy has increased its number of members who identify as people of color by 63%.
"It's not an all-new voting body," Mason assures. "We're very specific and intentional in who we asked to be a part of our academy by listening and learning from different genres and different groups that... Read More