Stephen Gong will retire as executive director for the Center for Asian American Media.

Gong plans to leave the San Francisco–based organization, which oversees the annual CAAMFest, at the end of the year. He will continue in his role until a successor is hired.

“Over my nearly two decades at CAAM, I’m proud to have seen Asian American stories grow in both prominence and nuance,” Gong said in a news release. “I’m truly honored to have been part of this movement and to hand off the stewardship of this dedicated organization to its next leader.”

Gong joined CAAM in 2006 after working as deputy director of the University of California at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. He has also been program officer for the National Endowment for the Arts and an associate director for the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the American Film Institute.

While working for the NEA in 1980, Gong was in attendance at the first Asian American producers conference at the UC Berkeley campus, which led to the creation of CAAM that year. Before working for CAAM, Gong was a board member for the nonprofit.

As one of five members of the National Multicultural Alliance, CAAM receives funding from CPB to help produce and distribute public media programs. In 2020, CAAM co-produced Asian Americans, a five-part series that aired nationally on PBS stations.

“We are honored to work alongside Stephen Gong for so many years, and excited to bring his spirit of tireless advocacy to the next chapter of CAAM’s story,” said CAAM Board Co-Chair Dipti Ghosh in the news release. “The next leader of CAAM is poised to harmonize its powerful national influence with its deep roots of local community presentations through impactful storytelling.”