President Barack Obama has nominated Maria Lopez De Leon, Executive Director for the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC), and Emil J. Kang, Executive Director for the Arts and Professor of the Practice of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to become members of the National Council on the Arts.

The National Council on the Arts advises the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. The 14-member council reviews and makes recommendations to the chair on applications for grants, funding guidelines and leadership initiatives. Presidential appointments to the council, by law, are selected for their widely recognized knowledge of the arts or their expertise or profound interest in the arts. They have records of distinguished service or achieved eminence in the arts and are appointed to represent all geographic areas of the country.

President Obama said, "I am proud that such experienced and committed individuals have agreed to serve the American people in these important roles. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead."

Pending confirmation by the Senate, De Leon and Kang will serve six-year terms on the council.

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Pictured Above: National Council on the Arts Presidential Nominees: Maria Lopez De Leon (left), Emil J. Kang (right)