Janet Yang, the film producer who served three terms as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has been tapped to serve as chairwoman of the board of Committee of 100, a nonprofit organization made up of distinguished Chinese Americans, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
C100, which was founded in 1990 by architect I.M. Pei, musician Yo-Yo Ma and other prominent Chinese Americans, aims to strengthen U.S.-China relations and challenge the treatment of Chinese Americans as foreigners rather than full participants in American life. Yang, a C100 member since 1998, succeeds Gary Locke, the former governor of Washington state and former U.S. Ambassador to China, who led the organization for the past five years.
Yang, 69, the Queens-born daughter of Chinese immigrants, majored in Chinese at Brown University and earned an MBA from Columbia University. She broke into showbiz by connecting key players in the Chinese and Hollywood film industries, helping to make possible films like Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun. She then became a producer in her own right, accumulating credits including The Joy Luck Club, The People vs. Larry Flynt and Over the Moon, and winning an Emmy for the TV film Indictment: The McMartin Trial.
A member of the film Academy’s producers branch since 2002, she was elected to the board in 2019 and to the presidency in 2022, serving in both capacities through 2025. As president (she was the first Asian American to hold that office), she led the push to recruit new members from all around the world. Today, some one-quarter of the roughly 10,000 members are based outside of the United States.
“Chinese Americans have always contributed to this country at the highest levels — as entrepreneurs, business leaders, scientists, public servants and artists,” C100 president Paul Cheung said in a statement. “Janet’s leadership will help us take more ownership of our narrative than ever before, so the next generation of Chinese American leaders can contribute fully and freely to American society.”
Yang told THR, “While global media may focus on anti-Chinese or anti-American sentiment, my experience is that there is significant mutual curiosity, affection and desire for collaboration. At a time when international cooperation is more vital than ever — particularly to address unprecedented challenges such as AI and climate change — I stand with those who choose to connect through shared values and a vision for a better future.”
She added, “What I see today would have been unimaginable mere years, certainly decades, ago. That is why I have chosen to take the reins at Committee of 100. I am drawn to the tremendous opportunities to connect East and West in meaningful ways — person to person, heart to heart. I am grateful and honored to continue doing the work I have always loved under this new banner.”
