Oscar winner Ariana DeBose and two others become AFI trustees
DeBose joins big names such as Halle Berry, Michael B. Jordan and Shonda Rhimes on AFI's board of trustees.
Ariana DeBose has a new title to add to her list of accomplishments. The Academy Award-winning actress has joined the American Film Institute’s board of trustees, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Established on June 5, 1967, the American Film Institute was created by presidential proclamation to “preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work, and to educate the next generation of storytellers.” The nonprofit’s various offerings include the AFI Awards, AFI Fest and national education programs.
Now, DeBose joins the board alongside Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chair and CEO Pamela Abdy and trial lawyer Wylie A. Aitken. In a statement sent to the outlet, the board’s chair, Kathleen Kennedy, said, “AFI is the place where artistry and academia meet. The addition of Pam, Wylie and Ari to the board will further propel our national mandate to inspire, to educate and, ultimately, to drive culture forward.”
DeBose, Abdy and Aitken join an already star-studded list of board members including Halle Berry, Michael B. Jordan, Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, and more.
DeBose shared the news on Instagram stories on Thursday morning, writing to her followers that she is, “thrilled” to be a part of AFI’s “mission to honor artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.”
As theGrio previously reported, DeBose has had an exciting past few years in the industry. The triple-threat won an Academy Award for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” in 2022, has hosted the Tony Awards for the past two years, and is set to play Calypso in “Kraven the Hunter” later this year.
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