Entrepreneur second Indian American on the board.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Indian American entrepreneur Frank Islam has been nominated by President Barack Obama to the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.
Other members who have been appointed in the past by the President include Caroline Kennedy – the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy – and Indian American entrepreneur Romesh Wadhwani, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Symphony Technology Group who was recently listed as the second-richest Indian American in the nation.
“I am humbled by the decision of President Obama to nominate me to serve as a general trustee of the Kennedy Center,” said Islam in a statement to The American Bazaar. “To be able to serve on the board of trustees of this venerable institution, which is a high temple of American art and culture, is a great privilege and honor. I am truly thankful to the President for giving me this opportunity.”
Islam was the founder and CEO of the QSS Group, a very successful IT company founded in 1994 that generated profits upwards of $300 million. He sold the company, and founded FI Investment Group LLC in 2007. He is a recipient of the 1999 Ernst & Young Maryland Entrepreneur of the Year and, in 2001, was recognized as the Small Business Person of the Year for the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area by the US Small Business Administration.
In addition to his new post at The Kennedy Center, Islam is also part of the Maryland Governor’s International Advisory Council, the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and the Dean’s Council of both the American University school of International Services and George Mason University School of Management.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, located in the nation’s capital right next to the infamous Watergate building complex, is one of the premiere arts venues in the country. It’s also the busiest, hosting nearly 2,000 performances ever year, with roughly two million people seeing a show there annually. Half-public and half-private – it is officially a memorial to President Kennedy as well as a private arts institution that funds its programs largely through ticket revenue – appointments made to its Board of Trustees are very highly sought-after.
The full list of Kennedy Center Board of Trustees members can be viewed here.