Shelly C. Lowe, executive director of the Native American program at Harvard University was appointed by President Biden to serve as the 12th chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Lowe, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, has served since 2016 as one of 26 members of the National Council on the Humanities, an advisory board appointed by the president that reports to the agency’s chair. If confirmed by the Senate, she will be the first Native American and the second woman to lead the federal agency that provides more than $100 million in grants to cultural and educational institutions each year.
“My time serving on the National Council on the Humanities has been immensely rewarding, and I look forward to continuing to serve and advance the humanities in this new role,” Lowe said. “Ensuring the American people have access to humanities institutions, resources, and programs is absolutely critical to addressing the challenges of the 21st century.”
Before coming to Harvard University in 2009, Lowe held the position of assistant dean for Native American affairs and director of the Native American Cultural Center at Yale University. Prior to her position at Yale, she spent six years as the graduate education program facilitator for the American Indian studies programs at the University of Arizona.
Lowe holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in American Indian studies from the University of Arizona.
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