The Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is the executive leader 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 ...

, an independent federal agency created in 1965. The Chair directs the NEH and is the sole position in the agency with the legal authority to make grants and awards. The NEH Chair is appointed by the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. The appointment and term of the Chair are statutorily defined in , and the Chair's authority is defined throughout . The National Council on the Humanities, a board of 26 private citizens who are also appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, advises the Chair.

List of Chairpersons

Barnaby Keeney Barnaby Conrad Keeney (October 17, 1914 – June 18, 1980) was president of Brown University from 1955 to 1966. He was known and loved by the student body for openness and his dry wit. As he once observed, "One of the joys of the life of an educa ...

, 1963–1965, Chair of National Commission on the Humanities * Henry Allen Moe, 1965–66, Interim Chair * Barnaby Keeney, 1966–1970 * Wallace Edgerton, Acting Chair, 1970–71 * Ronald Berman, 1971–1977 * Robert Kingston, Acting Chair, 1977 * Joseph Duffey, 1977–81 *

William J. Bennett William John Bennett (born July 31, 1943) is an American conservative politician and political commentator who served as secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. He also held the post of director of the Office of ...

, 1981–85 *

John Agresto John Agresto is an American author, lecturer, and university administrator. Life Agresto was born on January 7, 1946, at the Navy Yard Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, to John and Theresa Agresto. He was raised in the Red Hook section of Brook ...

, Acting Chair, 1985 *

Lynne Cheney Lynne Ann Cheney ( ; ; born August 14, 1941) is an American author, scholar, and former talk show host. She is married to the 46th vice president of the United States, Dick Cheney, and served as the second lady of the United States from 2001 to ...

, 1986–1993 * Jerry L. Martin, Acting Chair, 1993 * Donald Gibson, Acting Chair, 1993 *

Sheldon Hackney Francis Sheldon Hackney (December 5, 1933 – September 12, 2013) was a prominent American educator. He was the Boies Professor of United States History at the University of Pennsylvania. Early life Hackney was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 193 ...

, 1993–97 * Bruce A. Lehman, Acting Chair, 1997 * William R. Ferris, 1997–2001 *

Bruce Cole Bruce Milan Cole (August 2, 1938 – January 8, 2018) was a longtime professor of art history at Indiana University, a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., a member of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, a ...

, 2001–2009 * Carole M. Watson, Acting Chair, 2009 *

Jim Leach James Albert Smith Leach (born October 15, 1942) is an American academic and former politician. He served as ninth Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2009 to 2013 Pogrebin, Robin"Rocco Landesman Confirmed as Chairman of the N ...

, 2009–2013 * Carole M. Watson, Acting Chair, 2013–2014 * William 'Bro' Adams, 2014–2017 * Margaret "Peggy" Plympton, Acting Chair, 2017–2018 * Jon Parrish Peede, 2018–2021 * Adam Wolfson, Acting Chair, 2021–2022 * Shelly Lowe, 2022–Present

References

{{NEH chairs