March 9, 2002
Directors Guild of America President Jack Shea announced his resignation at a special meeting of the DGA National Board of Directors held earlier today (Saturday, March 9, 2002) at DGA Headquarters in Los Angeles. The Board elected DGA First Vice President Martha Coolidge to succeed Shea, whose resignation will take effect following tomorrow's (Sunday) regularly scheduled National Board meeting.
"It has been a tradition at the DGA for the President to only serve two terms," Shea said. "At our national convention last June, I advised the delegates that I would run for a third term, in order to provide continuity of leadership for our upcoming contract negotiations. The delegates agreed that this was best for the Guild, and I was re-elected by acclamation.
"I also informed the delegates at that time that I intended to step down as President following a successful conclusion to our negotiations. Thanks to our outstanding negotiating committee, our negotiations were successfully concluded and our contract overwhelmingly ratified by our members. I feel it is now time for me to do what I said I would do."
Martha Coolidge will become the first woman president of the Directors Guild. She has served as DGA First Vice President since 1995 and has been Co-chair of the Guild's Creative Rights Committee since 1992. She joined the Guild in 1983 and was elected to the Western Directors Council (1984), an Alternate to the National Board (1989), and to the National Board (1991).
"I am extremely honored to succeed Jack Shea as President of the Directors Guild," Coolidge said. "Jack's guidance has been a huge inspiration to me and, as president, I look forward to continuing the DGA's tradition of strong leadership."
"I'm proud of what I accomplished as DGA President over the past five years," Shea said. "I think that our National Board's selection of Martha Coolidge as our next president is an outstanding choice. In addition to having an outstanding career, Martha has always worked tirelessly for the Guild, and I know her overwhelming passion and unique experiences will continue to provide the DGA with the dynamic leadership and strong vision we have always had."
Coolidge has directed a number of theatrical films including Valley Girl, Real Genius (winner of the 1986 Grand Prix Award at the Paris Film Festival), Rambling Rose (which received three IFP Independent Spirit Awards for Best Picture, Director and Supporting Actress and Academy Award nominations for Laura Dern and Diane Ladd), Lost in Yonkers and Angie. She has been twice nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television: Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (2000) and If These Walls Could Talk 2 – "1972" (2001). Coolidge also received the 1992 Crystal Award from Women in Film and is the 1998 recipient of one of the DGA's highest honors – the Robert B. Aldrich Award – which recognizes extraordinary service to the Guild and its membership.
The DGA National Board elected Steven Soderbergh to replace Coolidge as First Vice President and Taylor Hackford, who was serving as an alternate board member, to take Soderbergh's position on the board.