The Casting Society of America announced their new Board of Directors Wednesday with Kim Williams and Caroline Liem filling the positions of President and Vice President, respectively. The two women represent the most diverse board in CSA history. Williams is the fifth woman and second woman of color to helm the organization in its 39-year history. They will replace co-presidents Russell Boast and Rich Mento.
In response to a large increase in membership from 600 to 1,100 casting directors in the last five years, CSA has merged with the New York Board of Governors. The organization works to provide a standard of professionalism within the casting industry with casting directors working around the world to be a resource for producers, directors, and creative teams alike.
Williams, who is Vice President of Casting at Disney Television Studios, has worked on a wide array of projects in the past from Nat Geo’s Emmy-nominated “Genius: Aretha” to Showtime’s “The Chi.” During her time at ABC, she worked on projects for Disney+ and ABC Studios, including the critically acclaimed drama series “For Life.” Previously, she served as Casting Director at Fox and cast talent for “Prison Break,” “Glee,” and “The Sarah Conner Chronicles.”
Commercial CDs Can Now Join CSA—Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal As an independent casting director, Liem’s 20-year career has spanned a large variety of networks and studios, such as Paramount, Disney Studios, Sony, Warner Bros, CBS, NBC, The CW, and Fox. She worked with Emmy-winning creator Ryan Murphy on his first show, “Popular.” Her talents span beyond film and television to late night comedy as well, as the head of casting for the award-winning late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Though Williams has not previously held a role within the board, Liem was the former Vice President of Advocacy where she executed initiatives to uplift underrepresented voices within the casting industry. For 2021–2022, Felicia Joseph and Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, Director, Talent, Nickelodeon, will fill this role.
Other notable positions include Jason Kennedy and Jessica Daniels as the Vice Presidents of Finance and Treasurers, Elizabeth Berra as the Secretary, Sunday Boling as the Vice President of Membership & Governance, and Caitlin Jones and Zora DeHorter as the Vice Presidents of Communications.
For more information on new board announcements and Casting Society of America, visit the organization’s website here.
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