Commissioner Sharon Bowen was the first African-American to be appointed as Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She was sworn in on June 9, 2014 and served in the CFTC until 2017.
Prior to her role in the CFTC, Commissioner Bowen was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and appointed by President Obama to serve as Vice Chair and Acting Chair of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Previous to her work in the Obama administration, Commissioner Bowen had a renowned three-decade career in corporate and transactional law as an associate at Davis, Polk & Wardwell and later as associate and partner at Latham & Watkins.
She currently serves on the Board of the Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) and certain of its affiliates, including as Chair of the New York Stock Exchange. She also sits on the Board of Neuberger Berman and serves on its Audit Committee, the Board of Akamai Technologies and serves on its Audit and ESG Committees and Chairs Bakkt Trust. She is a partner of Seneca Women, a global leadership platform dedicated to connecting and advancing women in the economy.
Commissioner Bowen has served as a member of the Board and Emeritus Board of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc., the Boards of New York City Economic Development Corporation, and Public Education Needs Civil Involvement in Learning (PENCIL). She is also a recipient of the 2011 Diversity Trailblazer Award of the New York State Bar Association and was selected as the New York City Bar Association 2007 Diversity Champion and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association 2006 Lawyer of the Year. In 2022, she was inducted into the Futures Industry Association Hall of Fame. She is also the recipient of the 2022 Women in Derivatives Luminary Lifetime Achievement Award.
Commissioner Bowen holds a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia and a JD-MBA from Northwestern University. During her time at Northwestern Law, she served as Managing Editor of the Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business. Commissioner Bowen has also served as a former Executive Committee Member and Chair of the Law School Board.