Investing in the Future

Bowen grew up in Chesapeake, Va., where she and her four older siblings attended an all-Black elementary school. She remembers seeing KKK cross burnings as a child. But from a young age, she says, she drew confidence from a family and community that supported education. There was an emphasis, too, on activism. 

“I watched my neighbors and family members fighting for civil rights,” with a focus on access to health care and education, Bowen says. “So the concept of being a ‘first’ wasn’t frightening — it was a reward for my good work.” 

In junior high, Bowen ran relays in track, where she learned the importance of setting one’s teammates up for success. And she was salutatorian and homecoming queen at her then-recently integrated high school. 

As an undergraduate at the University of Virginia in the ’70s, Bowen wasn’t sure at first what she wanted to study. She loved reading and writing and considered majoring in English. But an economics class changed her mind. 

“I didn’t know what Wall Street was at the time,” Bowen says. “But through reading The Wall Street Journal — a daily class assignment — I discovered our financial markets.” 

Bowen enjoyed the intellectual challenge of analyzing the markets, but she remained undecided on a career path. She applied to both law schools and MBA programs and found in Northwestern a pair of outstanding, highly ranked options. It was one of three universities that offered her a full scholarship to both its law and business schools. Northwestern’s collaborative culture and the sense of place on its campuses, she says, won her over. 

“I was attracted to the smaller class sizes, which I thought would give me an opportunity to engage with my fellow students,” Bowen says. “The professors knew all of us inside and outside of the classroom, which really makes a difference.” 

The Kellogg School of Management on the Evanston campus provided a close-knit community with her peers, she says, while the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s location in Chicago’s bustling Streeterville neighborhood allowed for points of connection with the city’s broader population.  

At the Law School, Bowen learned the importance of critical analysis and how to approach the rule of law. Her cohort, she recalls, became so close that they could sometimes predict one another’s academic arguments in the classroom. 

“We respected each other’s viewpoints,” she says, “and it was great to be in an environment where it’s safe to do that. Not everyone sees cases in the same way. There were opportunities for people to express both sides, to see the pros and cons of judges’ decisions, and to explore unintended consequences.” 

As a dual-degree student in what was then a four-year program, Bowen says, “I was surprised by how interconnected law and business were.” She learned how companies raised money, how markets influenced opportunity and how antitrust laws worked as guardrails. “I enjoyed both schools,” she says. “Most people are surprised when I say I really enjoyed law school.” 

Outside of the classroom, Bowen was a member of the Black Law Students Association and served as managing editor of the Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business. 

Northwestern Law classmate Leslie Donavan ’82 JD remembers Bowen as “very bright, ambitious, hardworking and a natural leader.” But she first gravitated toward Bowen simply because she liked being around her. “She was fun. She was funny. I enjoyed her company.” 

Donavan, who is president and CEO of Starfish Aquatics Institute, a water safety training and certification agency, says Bowen’s caring nature carried over into service. In particular, she remembers Bowen’s involvement with fundraising for Student Funded Public Interest Fellowships, which support law students entering public interest careers. “She didn’t do things to build her resume,” Donavan says. “She did things because she believed in them.” 

Donavan and Bowen reconnected at their 40th reunion in 2022. “She’s just one of those people who lights up a room,” Donavan says. 

Still, Bowen says it occasionally surprises her just how significant some of her “firsts” might be to others. She recalls that when Jeffrey Sprecher, former chair of the NYSE and founder, chair and CEO of its parent organization, Intercontinental Exchange, selected Bowen for the board chair role in late 2021, he told her that people would celebrate her many “firsts.” But, Bowen remembers, he emphasized that he hired her for being the best person for the job.  

Lynn Martin, NYSE Group president, agrees. “There is no one more emblematic of a trailblazer than Sharon Bowen,” Martin says. “Her renowned career in law and government has been crucial to the NYSE board. Her passion for supporting women and people of color and dedication to improving access to the financial markets are present in all that she accomplishes — which is a lot!”  

As chair, Bowen oversees the governance and strategic direction of the NYSE. She also uses the position to promote the work of the NYSE to government officials, corporations, nonprofits and students, among others. Indeed, Bowen says she accepted the role in part because it would allow her to champion the economic empowerment of women and girls. She is a partner with Seneca Women, an organization dedicated to supporting women’s financial interests. 

Bowen recently hosted 120 high school and college students — all young women of color — at the NYSE for a financial literacy workshop that included presentations on saving, investing and managing debt. “I wish I’d heard some of those things when I was their age,” Bowen says.