Deborah F. Rutter

Deborah F. Rutter is an American arts executive. She was the president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. from September 2014 to February 2025. Rutter was the first woman to head the Center, overseeing the Center's operations in presenting theater, dance, music, awards, and the affiliated, National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera. She came to the Center from serving as the president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2003–2014), an American orchestra commonly referred to as one of the "Big Five".