Sharon Bowen Makes History As First Black Woman To Lead The NYSE Board

Sharon Y. Bowen made history this month, becoming the first Black woman to chair the New York Stock Exchange Board. Bowen has a nearly 40-year career in corporate transactional law and is no stranger to making history.

In 2014, Bowen became the first African American appointed Commissioner of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Appointed by former President Barack Obama, Commissioner Bowen served until 2017.

Bowen’s expansive career began as a corporate and transactional law associate at Davis, Polk & Wardwell before she became a partner at Latham & Watkins. Throughout her career, Bowen has led diversity and inclusion initiatives, co-chairing the Diversity Committee and Diversity Hiring Subcommittee at Latham. Bowen also headed up the firm’s Women Enriching Business Task Force, which seeks to establish broader networks and productive business relationships among women, Face 2 Face Africa reported.

In 2007, Bowen was selected as the New York City Bar Association Diversity Champion and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association 2006 Lawyer of the Year.

Before taking on the role of Chair of the NYSE, Bowen was already a member of the NYSE- Intercontinental Exchange Board.

Bowen is a native of Chesapeake, Virginia and holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Virginia and JD-MBA from Northwestern University.

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