Ravi S. Rajan is the fourth President of the California Institute of the Arts, succeeding President Emeritus Steven D. Lavine.
Rajan has extensive experience in the production of art, music, theatre/dance, and film/video, as well as in senior executive roles in higher education. He became an Assistant Dean of Art+Design at Purchase College in 2005, eventually rising to the position of Dean of the School of Arts in 2012. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London; a former member of the Tony Awards Nominating Committee and a past president of the Asian American Arts Alliance.
Rajan is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and Yale University. He is an accomplished musician, performing with and conducting for many large and small musical groups as well as for the theatre. His practice also encompasses producing collaborative mixed-media projects with artists, filmmakers, directors, and choreographers for museums, galleries, foundations, biennials, festivals, and venues public and private.