Dr. Allyson Lowe is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Carlow University. Prior to joining the faculty at Carlow in 2009, she was Director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy (the Center) for five years and held the Elsie Hillman Chair in Politics at Chatham University. She brings to a strong commitment to community collaboration, having worked in partnership with organizations and universities across the Commonwealth, as well as a variety of foundations and national partners. She is also interested in connecting the global and local with research and teaching expertise in international affairs, women and politics and policy formation.

As Department Chair, Dr. Lowe oversees a team of talented teaching colleagues and the curriculum in the political science and public policy and leadership majors and minors. She
serves and the university’s primary pre-law advisor.  She is consistently interest in international affairs. A Fulbright Award recipient and member of the American Council on Germany, she offers courses in comparative politics, with special attention to the EU, women and politics, and policy formation. Her research interests include political institutions, leadership and policy development in the EU with special attention to women’s issues and political participation. She has designed and lead an undergraduate seminar to the European Union headquarters and selected member states for three years.  In 2008, her seminar was funded by the Max Kade Foundation.

Previously, as Director of the Center at Chatham, her work included program design and implementation for both on and off campus audiences, curriculum development, research coordination, and community outreach and engagement activities that encouraged the participation of women from all stages of life in public leadership. She developed the Center’s signature program “Ready to be Head: Advocacy Training,” that provides a tool kit for citizens
to engage government officials in the basics of lobbying. While at Chatham, she served as the campus coordinator for the institution’s membership in Project Pericles, a select national organization of 22 campuses that have made systemic commitments to civic engagement.
She has also chaired the women’s studies program during its reformulation.

During her tenure, the Center was recognized with the League of Women Voters Good Government Award, the AAUW Progress in Equity Award, the PA-AAUW Gateway to Equity Award, the Mayor of Pittsburgh’s Women’s History Month Proclamation, and multiple proclamations from the various members of the PA House and Senate, as well as the Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania. 

She currently serves many community non-profit and advisory boards such as: the Pennsylvania Women’s Campaign Fund (a bi-partisan state PAC); the Southwestern Pennsylvania Program for Deliberative Democracy ; the European Union Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh; the Good Government Awards Committee of the League of Women Voters, the Governance Committee of A+ Schools.   Dr. Lowe was appointed by the Governor of Ohio to serve on the Board of Trustees for both Ohio State and Miami Universities and has an extensive record in university governance activities. Dr. Lowe received a Pittsburgh National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Volunteer Award for her community leadership. 

In 2009, she was named one of the 40 Under 40 top young professionals by Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP.

Originally from Ohio, she received her Ph.D. and M.A. from the Ohio State University and her Bachelor of Arts, from Miami University.