President, California Institute of the Arts

Rajan became the fourth president of Santa Clarita-based CalArts in 2017. As part of overseeing 1,437 enrolled students and 363 full-time and part-time faculty, Rajan has led efforts to meld new technologies into creating art. In May, a CalArts alum, Raven Chacon, was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in music. Before joining CalArts, Rajan served as dean of the School of the Arts at State University of New York at Purchase. Initially trained as a musician, Rajan has collaborated on multimedia presentations for major art institutions and live performance venues. He has been a member of the Tony Awards Nominating Committee.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5