In September 2014 Deborah F. Rutter will be taking over as the third president of the Kennedy Center, the nation’s premier arts institution. Rutter will succeed Michael M. Kaiser, the Kennedy Center’s president of 13 years, in order to guide the organization through a time of immense growth and expansion. Rutter, currently president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, is the first female president of the Kennedy Center and will serve as both artistic and administrative director. She will administrate dance, chamber music and education initiatives, while overseeing the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.

When Rutter accepted the position she commented, “Being at the nation’s performing center, where you can reflect on the importance of culture and play host to the great artists of America and around the world, it’s a fantastic opportunity.” Chairman of the Kennedy Center David Rubenstein praises Rutter’s record and states that the “the search committee spent a year and came to a unanimous decision that she was the best person in the country for the job.”