New Harvard Native American Program Head Appointed

he Harvard University Native American Program has appointed Shelly C. Lowe as its new executive director, effective beginning in July.

Lowe is a member of the Navajo Nation and is currently an assistant dean at Yale College and the director of the Native American Cultural Center at Yale University.

Carmen Lopez, also of the Navajo Nation, was the last HUNAP executive director, and her departure last year prompted a national search for her replacement.

Associate Director for Recruitment and Student Affairs Steven Abbott has assumed the duties of the HUNAP Executive Director for the past year, according to Bryant Bonner ’09, president of Native Americans at Harvard College,

“[Abbot] has done such a great job filling the gap of Executive Director, juggling two jobs between doing outreach to students and managing HUNAP,” he said. “So I am very excited about [Lowe’s] arrival.”

Lowe’s first project will be overseeing evaluations of HUNAP programs, gathering data on the programs and soliciting input from students, faculty, staff, and alumni. She said that she would also like to encourage students to remain involved with the Native American community after graduation.

“I would like to see a sharp increase in the number of Native graduates coming out of the Ivy institutions and going into leadership positions directly related to tribal needs and concerns,” Lowe said.

Lowe also emphasized the importance of HUNAP to both Harvard and the larger Native American community beyond the gates.

“I am very excited about working with HUNAP, because unlike NACC of Yale, HUNAP goes beyond the student affairs realm,” she said. “HUNAP also has a very distinct and identifiable name outside the University within the Native American communities and with other higher education institutions.”