Jane Chu, president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo.

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Missouri arts leader Jane Chu as the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The White House is expected to make an official appointment within days, and Chu will start work at the arts agency. The Senate confirmed her appointment Thursday.

Since 2006, Chu has served as president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo. The center is home to the Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony and Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

The National Endowment for the Arts has not had a permanent chairman since Rocco Landesman left the post at the end of 2012. The federal agency funds local arts programs produced by groups nationwide.