his supporters, especially since details of the leak suggested that it had come from inside the Academy.

In addition to that tension, the board has had a high-profile defection in recent months, when producer Bill Mechanic resigned his position in April with a scathing letter that criticized Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, the organization’s response to the #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite movements and the financial drain of the behind-schedule, over-budget Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Following that, several notable members of the Board of Governors, including Steven Spielberg and longtime Academy official Kathleen Kennedy, opted not to run for re-election to a board that some members feel has become too big and unwieldy and is hopelessly divided between above-the-line and below-the-line representatives.

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Over the last three years, the Academy has increased its size by more than 2,000 new members, growing by more than 25 percent. At the same time, viewership of the Oscars telecast, from which the Academy draws most of its operating income, have fallen steadily, hitting an all-time low in March, 2018.

In that climate, Bailey will face a final year in office. And if he wants to come back for more, he is free to run again for the board, and the presidency, after a one-year hiatus.