The announced departure of Deborah F. Rutter, the center’s president since 2014, comes as the center continues to search for a new board chair while navigating a second Trump term.

Deborah Rutter, who has led the Kennedy Center for more than a decade, will step down at the end of the year. Rutter has presided over an expansion of the center, both in programming and in a new arts facility called the REACH.

Deborah Rutter, who’s served as the president of the Kennedy Center since 2014, will step down from the high-profile role at the end of the year. “After more than 10 extraordinary years in Washington,

Deborah F. Rutter will leave her role as president of the Kennedy Center at the end of the year after a decade of leadership marked by expansion, innovation, and pandemic recovery.