The founding of Society of Voice Arts and Sciences can be traced to the 2005 publication of
Secrets of Voice-over Success by Joan Baker. In 2006, they organized the first-ever conference specifically for voice-over industry professionals. This conference would eventually become known as the That's Voiceover! Career Expo. The Voice Arts Awards were added as an event to conclude the Expo weekend in 2013, the same year as SOVAS was formally established. SOVAS was officially established as a nonprofit corporation in the state of New York on August 26, 2013. Its originating officers were Rudy Gaskins (President), Joan Baker (Secretary), and Kim Gaskins (Treasurer). Stephen J. Ulrich, a former executive director for the
Daytime Emmy Awards and
Sports Emmy Awards and a five-time Emmy winner himself, was brought on shortly after to lend his experience and expertise to launch the Voice Arts Awards. He resigned in 2020 but is still involved as a producer and technical director for SOVAS's events. Kim Gaskins resigned her treasurer position in 2021, but she remains on the board. Cipriano resigned his board position in 2022. As part of its mission, SOVAS has advocated for diversity and inclusion in the voice-over industry. In 2020, the organization lent public support to a spate of white voice actors relinquishing their roles as non-white characters as a form of anti-racist solidarity. Gaskins and Baker also penned an op-ed for NBC News addressing this as well as the issue of racially-insensitive characters throughout the history of animation. The SOVAS International Ambassadors program recognizes influential voice-over artists around the world who work to galvanize the global voice acting community. These ambassadors include Susie Valerio, Danny Burnside, Ahmed Aqotb, Diane Pang Burnside, Shobo Seun, Themba Sibeko, Vicky Tessio, Angely Baez, Wael Habbal, Yukiko Fujimura, and Joel Snyder. ==Programs==