Locality
Chesapeake
Occupation
Corporate Attorney
Biography
Chesapeake native Sharon Bowen attended the University of Virginia on a full academic scholarship, graduating in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in economics before earning a law degree and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. Focusing on such financial fields as private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructuring, she forged a path uncommon for women or African Americans as a corporate law firm partner. Having grown up in a small, segregated community, Bowen advocates for the fundamental value of workplace diversity and is driven to mentor those who are underrepresented in her field. Since 2018, she has been a partner of Seneca Women, an organization that focuses on advancing women and thought leadership.
With more than three decades of leadership in legal, financial and public policy institutions, Bowen was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010 as vice chair for the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, of which she became acting chair in 2012. In 2014 she was named commissioner of the
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The first African-American commissioner, Bowen directed its market risk advisory committee. Three years later she was appointed to the board of directors of Intercontinental Exchange Inc., and in 2021 Bowen became chair of the New York Stock Exchange, the first woman and person of color to hold that position in the exchange’s history.
Bowen serves on the boards of investment and technology firms. She has been recognized with numerous honors, including the 2022 Women in Derivatives Luminary Lifetime Achievement Award. She was inducted into the Futures Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2022.
2026 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History honoree.
With more than three decades of leadership in legal, financial and public policy institutions, Bowen was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010 as vice chair for the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, of which she became acting chair in 2012. In 2014 she was named commissioner of the
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The first African-American commissioner, Bowen directed its market risk advisory committee. Three years later she was appointed to the board of directors of Intercontinental Exchange Inc., and in 2021 Bowen became chair of the New York Stock Exchange, the first woman and person of color to hold that position in the exchange’s history.
Bowen serves on the boards of investment and technology firms. She has been recognized with numerous honors, including the 2022 Women in Derivatives Luminary Lifetime Achievement Award. She was inducted into the Futures Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2022.
2026 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History honoree.
File Citation(s)
Photograph courtesy of NYSE Group.