Shelly C. Lowe

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

Early life and education Lowe is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and grew up on the central part of the reservation in Ganado, Arizona. 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.

Career Lowe has worked as executive director of the Harvard University Native American Program, assistant dean of Yale College, 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 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.

Selected publications