The SAG-AFTRA Foundation has found a new leader, and it didn’t have to look far.
The nonprofit on Tuesday announced that its chief operating officer Charlotte Wells has been promoted to chief executive officer of the organization. The foundation’s executive director for 12 years, Cyd Wilson, is retiring but will be moving into an advisory and special projects role. Wells will begin her position, a newly created role, on Jan. 1.
Though it exists to serve SAG-AFTRA members, the foundation operates separately from the performers’ union with its focus on emergency financial aid, disaster relief, scholarships and educational resources. During the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, the foundation raised millions to support out-of-work performers from A-listers including Julia Roberts, George and Amal Clooney and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
“Our performers are the backbone of the entertainment industry, and when we invest in our artists, we strengthen the entire industry,” Wilson said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Cyd for her dedicated leadership and proud of all we’ve built together at the Foundation.”
After spending seven years as the COO of GLAAD, Wells joined the Foundation in 2017. In her new position, Wells said she will focus on raising $3 million to $5 million a year to support the nonprofit’s programs. “As we look to the future, our focus is clear: delivering expansive resources, tools, and programs to help performers hone their craft, navigate their careers, and build entrepreneurial skills,” she said in a statement.
Outgoing CEO Wilson led the foundation at a turbulent time for the industry, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic and attendant work slowdown, through the 2023 strikes and the devastating industry contraction that escalated in the years following. Since 2020, the Foundation says, it has granted more than $21 million in emergency financial aid, given out $1.5 million in higher education scholarships and created more than 48,000 free programs.
In a statement, Wilson called Wells “the best steward” for the foundation’s future and said she will “remain involved” in her new role.
