Obama to pick Kansas City's Jane Chu to lead National Endowment for the Arts

The woman who runs the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts may be headed for a higher post.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced his intention to nominate Jane Chu, president and CEO of the Kauffman Center since 2006, to be chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

“Jane’s lifelong passion for the arts and her background in philanthropy have made her a powerful advocate,” Obama said in a release.

The position, at the helm of what is often a political punching bag, is subject to Senate confirmation. The NEA’s budget in fiscal 2012 was $146 million, most of which it distributed in grants to various cultural endeavors. Chu, 56, is a pianist.

This story was originally published February 12, 2014 at 7:07 PM with the headline "Obama to pick Kansas City's Jane Chu to lead National Endowment for the Arts."