Caroline Kennedy, David Bohnett named Kennedy Center trustees

David Bohnett, a Los Angeles Internet entrepreneur and community activist, at his office in 2011.

By David Ng

Aug. 31, 2012 1:34 PM PT

President Obama is naming 10 new trustees to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the White House announced Friday. Among the appointees are Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president, and David Bohnett, the Los Angeles technology entrepreneur and philanthropist who has been actively involved in the arts.

Bohnett serves as the board chairman of the L.A. Philharmonic and as a board member of LACMA.

Members of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees are traditionally appointed by the president. In an official statement, Obama said the new appointees “bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles and I am proud to have them serve in this administration. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

The other appointees are Adrienne Arsht, Colleen Bell, Giselle Fernandez, Norma Lee Funger, Rebecca Pohlad, Romesh Wadhwani, Anthony Welters and Elaine Wynn.

Bell is an L.A. television producer who serves on the boards of L.A. County Museum of Arts and the Music Center. Fernandez is a journalist and has been involved in a number of charitable causes in the L.A. area.

Bohnett said in a phone interview from New York that he expects to contribute to the Kennedy Center’s strategic planning, fund-raising and programming. He said he has been a patron of the organization in the past.

He also heads the David Bohnett Foundation, a philanthropic organization involved in multiple fields, including education, the arts, gay rights and AIDS.

He said he expects to serve an additional two years as chairman of the L.A. Philharmonic. A representative of Bohnett said the appointment is for six years.

Kennedy Center trustees who also come from the L.A. area include Marc Stern, Leonard Sands, Joan E. Hotchkis, and Duane Roberts.

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