US President Barack Obama nominates Indian-American Ranvir Trehan as Kennedy Centre trustee

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama is set to appoint an Indian-American philanthropist to a key administration post at the prestigious John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts here, the White House has said.

Ranvir Trehan, who holds a degree of Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Birla Institute of Engineering and Science (BITS) Pilani, is set to be nominated as general trustee on Board at the Kennedy Centre.

Trehan is among six individuals to be nominated to various administration jobs, an official statement said yesterday.

"These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles. I look forward to working with them," Obama said.

The Kennedy Centre is among the busiest arts facility in the US as it annually holds about 2,000 music, dance and theatre festivals.

Trehan, who came to the US in 1964 and after various stints in companies like Apptis Holdings and SETA Corporation as a technocrat and an entrepreneur, recently turned philanthropist. He is the chairman of the Trehan Foundation.

Previously, Trehan was vice chairman of Apptis Holdings from 2005 to 2011 and was founder and chief executive officer of SETA Corp from 1987 to 2005, according to the statement.

He has a BS from the BITS, an MSE from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University of Dayton.

Trehan was a department head of Information and Communications Systems from 1985 to 1987 and a member of the technical staff from 1969 to 1985 at The MITRE Corporation. He is also a former member of the board of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors at CARE which aims to 'efficiently help' the poor.