Sharon Bowen was the first African-American commissioner appointed to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, serving from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that, from 2012 to 2014, Bowen served as vice-chair and then acting chair of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Before these government positions, Bowen had a 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 and in 2021 was named chair of the New York Stock Exchange, making her the first Black woman to hold the position in history.
Bowen has served as a member of the 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 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.
