Chief Oscars Officer Teni Melidonian Steps Down

More than two years into the role, Teni Melidonian has stepped down as Chief Oscars Officer at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

On Monday, CEO Bill Kramer announced Melidonian’s exit in a staff email as part of a restructuring, days after the Academy invited 529 film industry notables to be Oscar voters.

“As part of this transition, Teni Melidonian will be leaving her full-time role with the Academy and will provide guidance as a consultant for the next year,” Kramer wrote in the email, according to The Ankler.

A longtime AMPAS executive, Melidonian was promoted to the newly created position in January 2024, which required her to lead strategy, talent relations, special events and production teams for all awards programs and events.

As Chief Oscars Officer, Melidonian collaborated closely with the awards show’s producers and hosts, Disney/ABC and Academy leadership, including the Board of Governors and its committees, and oversaw the teams involved in developing and executing the Oscars for a global viewing audience.

In 2022, under Kramer’s leadership, Melidonian led the newly created Oscars Strategy division, successfully creating a unit working year-round on all awards-related programs.

Melidonian, a well known and well-liked member of the AMPAS Executive team was previously EVP of Oscars Strategy. She began her Academy career in 2005 as a publicist, advancing to head communications and publicity and overseeing brand strategy and marketing before moving over to lead the Oscars Strategy team. Prior to the Academy, Melidonian worked in Washington, D.C., including for the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia.