Veteran Hollywood executive Bob Daly will step down as chairman of the American Film Institute’s Board of Directors on October 21, ending a 17-year run in the leadership post. Daly has been connected to AFI for more than four decades, first joining the organization’s board in April 1981 and becoming chairman in 2009.
His departure will take effect at AFI’s next trustee meeting, closing one of the longest leadership tenures in the organization’s recent history as AFI prepares to open the 40th edition of AFI FEST in Hollywood on the same day.
Daly said serving as chairman had been one of the greatest honors of his career. In a statement reported by TheWrap and Variety, he reflected on a professional life that included senior roles at CBS, Warner Bros. and the Los Angeles Dodgers, while praising AFI board members for their shared commitment to film and television.
AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale also praised Daly’s influence on the organization. Gazzale said Daly had played an unusually important role in AFI’s work involving preservation, education and the celebration of film during his decades of service.
Daly’s history with AFI stretches back to 1981, when he joined the board while already established as a major television executive. Variety reported that he became chairman on October 8, 2009, succeeding co-chairs Jon Avnet and John Cooke.
The leadership change involves AFI’s Board of Directors, which is separate from the organization’s Board of Trustees. Kathleen Kennedy, the former president of Lucasfilm, remains chair of the Board of Trustees.
AFI’s current leadership page continued to list Daly as chair of the Board of Directors as of Wednesday. Kennedy has chaired the trustees since 2019, when she succeeded Sir Howard Stringer, while Daly continued to lead the directors.
Daly’s entertainment career began at CBS, where he spent about 25 years and rose through the company’s television operations. He served in senior positions that included president of CBS Entertainment and helped oversee programming during a period when the network returned to the top of the ratings.
He moved to Warner Bros. in 1980 and became chairman and co-chief executive officer. Daly and fellow executive Terry Semel led the studio for nearly two decades, a period that included major growth across film, television and music operations.
TheWrap reported that Warner Bros. posted 16 consecutive years of record earnings during the Daly-Semel era. The studio also released numerous Academy Award nominees for best picture, including winners Chariots of Fire, Driving Miss Daisy and Unforgiven.
After leaving Warner Bros., Daly moved into professional baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers say he became chairman and chief executive officer after acquiring a minority ownership stake in the team in October 1999 during News Corp.’s ownership period.
Daly served as the Dodgers’ managing partner and oversaw the organization for several years. His career therefore moved across television, motion pictures, music and professional sports before he devoted an extended period to nonprofit and educational work.
He also served as chairman of Save the Children and held roles connected to major Southern California educational institutions. His board work included ties to UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and the USC Annenberg School for Communication.
AFI was established in 1967 with support from President Lyndon B. Johnson and was created to advance film culture in the United States. The nonprofit’s mission includes preserving motion-picture heritage, recognizing artists and their work, and educating future filmmakers.
Today, AFI operates programs that include the AFI Conservatory and AFI FEST. The institute describes the Conservatory as a graduate film school offering training in cinematography, directing, editing, producing, production design and screenwriting.
Daly’s final day as chairman will coincide with the opening of AFI FEST 2026. The festival is scheduled for October 21 through October 25 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood and will feature 157 films from 50 countries, according to AFI.
The U.S. premiere of the stop-motion film Wildwood is scheduled to open the festival. AFI has also announced screenings, premieres, documentaries, international films and work from Conservatory alumni during the five-day event.
AFI’s Board of Trustees includes figures from across the film, television and media industries. Its membership includes actors, filmmakers, studio executives, producers and other entertainment leaders, with Steven Spielberg, Ava DuVernay, Halle Berry, Christopher Nolan, Shonda Rhimes and Ted Sarandos among those listed by AFI.
Daly has described that broad mix of industry experience as one of the strengths of his time with the organization, and his departure removes a leader who has been part of AFI governance since the early 1980s and chaired the Board of Directors through major changes in Hollywood’s business and distribution landscape.
AFI had not publicly named a successor to Daly as of Wednesday afternoon. The next trustee meeting on October 21 is expected to mark the formal end of his chairmanship as the institute begins its next leadership chapter.