National Humanities Chair Shelley C. Lowe left her position on Wednesday “in the direction of President Trump,” the agency said.
Lowe, a higher education scholar and first Native American to lead the agency, was nominated for former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in October 2021 and confirmed by the Senator in February 2022.
“At President Trump's direction, we can confirm that Shelley Lowe has left Neha's chairmanship,” agency spokesman Paula Wasley said in a statement. She said McDonald will serve as acting chair “until the president nominates and the Senate confirms the new NEH chairman.”
The agency chair is appointed for a four-year term, but some serve throughout the administration. Maria Rosario Jackson, chairman of the fund's sister agency, announced her resignation on January 17th, just before Trump took office.
Lowe's departure comes when Trump moves to place his stamp on the federal cultural agency. Most notably the Kennedy Center, where Biden's appointees from the bipartisan committee, fired the Center's president and elected chairman.
The president has also issued a cleaning order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government, calling for the promotion of a “patriotic history.” In one order issued in January, Trump, as a member of the newly created Task Force 250, is offering “a grand celebration worthy of the 250th anniversary of America's independence,” including heads of both the Arts and Humanities Foundation.
Last month, the Arts Fund, led by interim chair Mary Anne Carter, announced it was cancelling this year's “Challenge America” grant, a relatively small program aimed at supporting projects that serve underrated groups and communities.
Instead, potential applicants are encouraging the project “to praise, praise and praise the country's rich artistic heritage and creativity” towards its 250th anniversary in July 2026, according to its website.
During his first term, Trump repeatedly vowed to remove both agencies. Each of these has an annual budget of around $200 million. But they survived.
Information regarding staff and budget cuts or shifts for the Humanities Foundation program was not immediately available.
