Jane Chu Named by President Obama to Chair the National Endowment for the Arts

President Obama has nominated Jane Chu as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. Since 2006, she has been the president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City. Dr. Chu led the center during its planning stages and presided over its opening in September 2011.

In announcing the appointment, President Obama stated, “Jane’s lifelong passion for the arts and her background in philanthropy have made her a powerful advocate for artists and arts education in Kansas City. She knows firsthand how art can open minds, transform lives and revitalize communities, and believes deeply in the importance of the arts to our national culture.”

Dr. Chu is a graduate of an associate’s degree program at Nebraska Wesleyan University and earned a bachelor’s degree in piano studies at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. She holds a master’s degree in music from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, an MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, and a Ph.D. in philanthropic studies from Indiana University.