Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter Fired Ahead of Previously-Announced Exit (Updated)
Rutter had earlier announced her decision “to step down at the end of this year," but her departure was hastened after she was fired following President Trump's election as chair.
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UPDATE (Feb. 12): Deborah F. Rutter, the third president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, exited that position today, months ahead of schedule, after she was fired following President Donald Trump’s election as Kennedy Center chair. Last month, she had announced her decision “to step down at the end of this year.” At that time, the Center’s board of trustees said it had formed a search committee to identify her successor. Rutter had served in that position since 2014. Here’s Rutter’s statement announcing her departure, in full:
“The Kennedy Center stands unparalleled as our national cultural center and living memorial to President Kennedy’s legacy and ideals. To lead this organization is to witness its unending capacity to inspire through the power of the arts daily.
“The goal of the Kennedy Center has been to live up to our namesake, serving as a beacon for the world and ensuring our work reflects America. I depart my position proud of all we accomplished to meet that ambition. From the art on our stages to the students we have impacted in classrooms across America, everything we have done at the Kennedy Center has been about uplifting the human spirit in service of strengthening the culture of our great nation.
“I have been motivated my whole life by the fundamental values of America – freedom, equality, and a deep belief in the American dream. Core to our American experience is also artistic expression. Artists showcase the range of life’s emotions – the loftiest heights of joy and the depths of grievous despair. They hold a mirror up to the world – reflecting who we are and echoing our stories. The work of artists doesn’t always make us feel comfortable, but it sheds light on the truth.
“Much like our democracy itself, artistic expression must be nurtured, fostered, prioritized, and protected. It is not a passive endeavor; indeed, there is no clearer sign of American democracy at work than our artists, the work they produce, and audiences’ unalienable right to actively participate.
“For more than half a century, artistic growth at the Kennedy Center has been thanks to a dedicated professional staff, artists, and audiences’ eagerness to explore new ground together—with trust, respect, and joy.
“It has been the honor of my professional career to serve this great institution and all that it represents. There is no other place like it in the world.”
PREVIOUSLY (Jan. 27): Deborah F. Rutter, who has served as president of the Kennedy Center since 2014, has announced her decision to step down at the end of this year. The Center’s board of trustees has formed a search committee to identify her successor.
“After more than 10 extraordinary years in Washington, D.C., collaborating with some of the most phenomenal artists, cultural leaders, diplomats, philanthropists, volunteers, and administrators, I have come to believe it is time to pass the torch,” Rutter said in a statement.
“Deborah’s visionary leadership has transformed the Kennedy Center,” said Kennedy Center board chairman David M. Rubenstein (who will continue to lead the board through September 2026, the Center announced in November). “Her legacy will be the Center’s increased relevance, visibility, and physical footprint.”
Throughout her tenure, Rutter has expanded programming to represent the diversity of arts in America, most notably introducing hip-hop culture and social impact as two central areas of programming.
Under Rutter’s leadership, the Kennedy Center has grown its operating budget (expenses) to $268 million. Earned revenues have grown to $125 million, in addition to $95 million in contributed funds; $45 million in federal appropriations for the operation, maintenance and improvement of the memorial; and a $4 million draw from the endowment in fiscal year 2024.
In her first year, Rutter broke ground on a transformative arts facility and first-ever campus expansion, the REACH. After successfully delivering on a $250 million capital campaign raised entirely through private contributions, the REACH opened in September 2019.
As part of the Center’s 50th anniversary season, Rutter oversaw the development of “Arts & Ideals: President John F. Kennedy,” an immersive, permanent 7,500 square-foot exhibit exploring President Kennedy’s connection to arts and culture. Since its opening in September 2022, the JFK exhibit has welcomed nearly 1 million visitors.
Programs that evolved under Rutter’s leadership include Sound Health (Network), a collaboration with artistic advisor Renée Fleming exploring the neurological and health benefits of music. In 2024, the Center introduced its new Arts & Wellbeing series, reflecting the full spectrum of the arts and their impact on mind, body, and soul. This spring, the Kennedy Center will present “Earth to Space: Arts Breaking the Sky,” which will explore humans’ ambitions to navigate space.
The Kennedy Center serves as the home to the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and Washington National Opera (WNO). With more than 2,000 performances each year — and two major televised awards shows, the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor — the Center attracts 1.5 million ticketholders and more than 2 million visitors annually. Rutter has also guided the Center’s global network of more than 40 education initiatives, making it the nation’s largest provider of arts education by reaching more than 2.1 million individuals. She is also credited with landing Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda as the NSO’s music director in 2016.
