Shelly C. Lowe is an American academic administrator who served as a member and then chair of the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

Early life and education

Lowe is a citizen of the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...

and grew up on the central part of the reservation in

Ganado, Arizona Ganado () is a chapter of the Navajo Nation and census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 883 at the 2020 census, reduced from 1,210 at the 2010 census. Ganado is part of the Fort Defiance ...

. Lowe graduated from Ganado High School and was awarded a full-ride four-year Flinn Scholarship. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and Master of Arts in Native American studies from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

Career

Lowe has worked as executive director of the

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Native American Program, assistant dean of

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, director of the Yale University Native American Cultural Center, and graduate program facilitator of the American Indian Studies program at the University of Arizona. She was appointed to serve as a member of the

by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in 2015 and as chair of the NEH by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

in 2021. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 2, 2022, and sworn into office on February 14. She is the first Native American to head the NEH. On March 12, 2025, Lowe left her position on the NEH at the direction of the president.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Shelly Living people University of Arizona alumni People from Ganado, Arizona Yale University administrators Harvard University administrators University of Arizona faculty Chairpersons of the National Endowment for the Humanities Year of birth missing (living people)