The Kansas City Art Institute will be led into the future by Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar, who is the acting director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum located in New York City. KCAI is a four-year college of fine arts and design, founded in 1885.
According to board chair Sue Nerman, the board unanimously selected Neuhold-Ravikumar to succeed outgoing president Tony Jones who will retire in June 2022.
Nerman described Neuhold-Ravikumar as "very innovative." She added, “And I believe she will be the right person to lead us into the future.”
According to Nerman, Neuhold-Ravikumar stood out for her arts and administrative experience at Cooper Hewitt where she manages more than 100 full-time employees and a collection of 215,000 objects.
“The commitment of KCAI’s faculty, staff and board of trustees to nourish the bold ambitions of students to tackle the complex challenges of the world is inspiring,” Neuhold-Ravikumar said in a news release. “I am honored to take on the role that bears the Nerman family name and lead KCAI into its next phase of evolution.”
Previously, Neuhold-Ravikumar served as director of education for Cooper Hewitt, associate provost of education and access and the acting undersecretary for education at the Smithsonian Institution.
Nerman said the selection committee was struck by Neuhold-Ravikumar's "incredible poise, intelligence, creativity and just really a lovely demeanor about her."
Neuhold-Ravikumar grew up in Chennai, India, and holds degrees from Iowa State University and Stella Maris College in India. She also has experience in higher education, having served as the associate dean of the College of Arts & Design at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. She’s married to Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar, who's led the University of Central Oklahoma since 2019.
Neuhold-Ravikumar's appointment follows a chapter of growth at KCAI led by Jones. Jones, who announced in April that he would retire in June 2022, became the KCAI president in 2015. He had previously led the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Royal College of Art in London and the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. Jones is credited with new building and renovation projects at KCAI, capital campaigns and expanding the college endowment.
“We know that there really is no replacement for Tony. And if you’ve been on campus you’ll know that it’s been a complete transformation,” said Nerman. “There’s only a continuation of what he has started and building upon (it).”
