Dr. Helen Lowman is Professor of Practice in the Political Science Department, Public Administration Program, at Texas State University. She also serves as the Director of the Center for Research, Public Policy, and Training and Senior Advisor to the Associate Director of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection at the Peace Corps. Before joining the faculty at Texas State University in 2022, she was President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit that envisions every community to be a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. In this role of approximately five years, she ran the organization, with more than 3 million volunteers and 650 affiliate organizations.  

Dr. Lowman is an innovative and experienced leader in international development, environmental sustainability, and organizational change. In July 2010, Dr. Lowman was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Peace Corps Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region, where she oversaw programs in 21 countries. In 2014, Dr. Lowman became Associate Director of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection, overseeing the largest department in the Peace Corps, with staff in eight US-based recruiting offices and Peace Corps Headquarters who were tasked with recruiting, assessing, and placing between 3,000 and 5,000 volunteers in more than 60 countries annually. Dr. Lowman was then appointed by President Obama as Director of the Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the US Department of Homeland Security in October 2015. In her role as Director of ICPD, she oversaw programs that partner at all levels of government, the private sector, and community organizations to increase citizen and community preparedness and encourage the development of disaster resilience across the United States.  

During her career, Dr. Lowman has served as Country Director and Associate Director of the Peace Corps program in China, acting Country Director in Mongolia, and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand. She has also held senior leadership positions at AFS Intercultural Programs/USA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Dr. Lowman has served on numerous boards, including, but not limited to, Pyxera Global, World Neighbors, Better World Leadership Council, Osgood Center for International Studies, and the Council on Standards for International Travel Education.  

Dr. Lowman completed her undergraduate studies at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and Spanish. She obtained a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies and both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. In 2022, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Austin College.