Leadership Shakeup At Trump-Kennedy Center As Major Renovations Loom
Former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell is stepping down as CEO and executive director of the Trump-Kennedy Center.
President Donald Trump announced that Matt Floca, the center’s current vice president of facilities operations, will take over the role pending approval from the board of directors.
“Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Grenell has led the center for more than a year after Trump reorganized the board and assumed the role of chairman.
The leadership change comes as the Trump-Kennedy Center prepares for a major renovation project that will temporarily close the facility.
Trump announced last month that the performing arts center will shut down for two years beginning after July 4 to allow for extensive upgrades and reconstruction.
“THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will be, at its completion, the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World!” Trump wrote when announcing the project.
The president also shared architectural renderings of the planned renovations on social media earlier this week.
Grenell’s departure comes during a period of controversy surrounding changes to the center’s programming.
Some artists and activists criticized the center after it ended drag performances aimed at children as part of a broader shift in programming.
Earlier this year, composer Philip Glass canceled the scheduled premiere of one of his symphonies at the venue.
Glass said the themes of the work, which focused on Abraham Lincoln, conflicted with the center’s current leadership.
Roma Daravi, a spokesperson for the Trump-Kennedy Center, said the institution remains committed to celebrating the arts without political pressure.
“We have no place for politics in the arts, and those calling for boycotts based on politics are making the wrong decision,” Daravi said.
“We have not canceled a single show. Leftist activists are pushing artists to cancel, but the public wants artists to perform and create, not cancel under pressure,” she added.
The center has faced additional backlash since the board voted in December to rename the institution.
The venue is now formally known as The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
The decision sparked criticism from some artists and activists who opposed the change.
Several performers have canceled scheduled appearances at the venue both before and after the renaming decision.
In one case, jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve performance just days before the show was set to take place.
Officials at the center said they would seek $1 million in damages over the abrupt cancellation.
Trump previously made clear that he planned significant changes at the institution after taking over as chairman.
“NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA,” Trump wrote when outlining his vision for the center’s future.