Michael M. Kaiser is president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Dubbed "the turnaround king" for his work at such arts institutions as the Kansas City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Opera House, Kaiser has earned international renown for his expertise in arts management.

Born October 27, 1953, in New York City, Kaiser grew up in New Rochelle, New York, earning an undergraduate degree in economics and minor in music from Brandeis University, Magna Cum Laude, and a masters degree in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. His study of vocal music reflected an early passion for the arts, and while he hoped for a career as an opera singer he was, as he put it,"just dreadful"