Jeanell English, the EVP Impact & Inclusion at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is leaving the organization less than a year after taking on the role. She had previously joined as the VP Impact & Operations in 2020. This news comes shortly after it was announced that Karen Horne, the DEI executive at Warner Bros. Discovery North America, is also leaving amidst company-wide layoffs.
English was promoted to EVP in July 2022 and was responsible for leading the Academy’s initiatives aimed at addressing underrepresentation in the industry and supporting emerging and diverse film artists. According to AMPAS, her role was to discover, empower, and advance the work of these artists.
English has an extensive background in global diversity and inclusion strategy, employee engagement, corporate social responsibility, cross-cultural training, and talent management. Prior to joining AMPAS, she held a director position at Discovery Inc. (now Warner Bros. Discovery).
This departure follows the recent promotion of Kendra Carter to SVP Impact and Global Talent Development at the Academy in May.
