Vernā Myers: Last News

DEI efforts. The first installment highlighted Latino representation in “Blue Beetle” and home renovation show “Rico to the Rescue.” But after regular updates in 2024, the digest went silent after the election of President Trump. Last week, the feature was dropped from the company’s DEI page, along with WBD’s commitments to equity and diversity outreach, as the company narrowed its focus to “inclusion.” The move came as Trump has sought to stamp out DEI programs at the federal level and threatened civil and criminal investigations of private companies.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Jeanell English, executive vice president of impact and inclusion, is exiting her role at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. English was promoted to the newly created role in July 2022 by Academy CEO Bill Kramer. In her role, she led the Academy’s initiatives to address underrepresentation across the industry and the talent development programs such as Academy Gold. Over the past year, she’s been a key figure in major initiatives and changes across the organization including developing the infrastructure for the Academy’s inclusion standards and enabling a path for community, advocacy, education and empowerment amongst its members and staff. She also designed and implemented the Academy’s first mid-career talent development program, the Academy Film Accelerator, which advocates for the careers of filmmakers from underrepresented communities.