AFI Conservatory dean Robert Mandel to step down

Film and television director Robert Mandel (“F/X,” “Lost”) is stepping down as dean of the AFI Conservatory at the end of June 2014, the American Film Institute announced Monday.

After nine years as academic head of the graduate-level film school, Mandel will be returning to directing while remaining on the faculty. Mandel is an alumnus of the conservatory’s class of 1979.

“Mandel embodies the ideal of the AFI Conservatory: storytellers who have enjoyed great acclaim returning to share their trials and triumphs with storytellers of the future,” AFI President Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “His contributions to AFI have been extraordinary, and we are proud and honored to know they will continue through his role on the faculty.”

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During his tenure as dean, Mandel has attracted more than a dozen new faculty members, including Oscar-winning director/writer James L. Brooks, who recently joined as artistic director. He also has added courses in acting, independent-film finance, television and show running.

Mandel began his career as a theater director working at the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Roundabout Theatre Company and the Public Theater, where he was mentored by Joseph Papp. He won an Emmy for the 1983 ABC Afterschool Special, “Andrea’s Story.”

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