Jamal Sowell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jamal Allen Sowell is a business executive in the state of Florida, recognized by Florida Trend as one of the state’s 500 most influential business leaders.[1][2] He served as the Florida Secretary of Commerce and as the Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), the state's primary economic development agency.[3] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sowell was responsible for implementing the state’s economic development strategy throughout a tumultuous nationwide economic downturn. The DeSantis Administration called Sowell's efforts to support the state's recovery, "indispensable" in making Florida "the beacon of opportunity for the entire country."[4] In recognizing Sowell, the administration stated, "He has done outstanding work as the president and CEO of Enterprise Florida since January 2019, leading EFI through the once-in-a-generation economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic."[5] After serving as one of the administration's original cabinet members, Sowell resigned as Secretary of Commerce near the end of 2021 to attend military training for the United States Navy Reserve.[4]
Jamal Sowell is a sixth generation Florida native born in Orlando, Florida to James and Lutricia Sowell. Sowell's parents met at Florida A&M University (FAMU) where his father was the class of 1968 Army ROTC distinguished military graduate. Sowell is a proud monthly donor to FAMU.
The Sowell family has a multi-generational tradition of military service. Sowell's grandfather fought in World War II, while his father served in Vietnam, and brother deployed to Iraq where he became disabled. Sowell's father was one of Florida's first 100 African-American attorneys.[6]
Sowell's parents both hail from the rural Florida regions of Hamilton County and Lake County. Sowell was raised in the Pine Hills neighborhood of Orlando, Florida. He attended Dr. Phillips High School before transferring to West Oaks Academy, a small Christian school. His Uncle is Commodores Founder Thomas McClary, and his cousin is Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kurtis Wilder.
Sowell attended the University of Florida, where he became Student Body President and a member of the University Board of Trustees.[7] Sowell graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion in 2005, with a minor in Family, Youth and Community Sciences. He was awarded the UF Outstanding Male Leader Award, inducted into the UF Hall of Fame,[8] and received the UF Outstanding Young Alumni Award.[9] He was on the UF Alumni Association Board of Directors. He did coursework in 19th century American literature under Professor Barry O'Connell at Amherst College, while he worked at Amherst College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has also worked at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Sowell earned a Master's of Higher Education Administration & Policy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Juris Doctor and a certificate in constitutional design from Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law. At Indiana University Bloomington, Sowell was a Pat Tillman Scholar.[10] He also served on the editorial board for the Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design and was an associate with the Indiana Center for Constitutional Democracy. While pursuing his degree in law, Sowell interned for Congressman Todd Young and lived in Israel and worked for Shurat HaDin, a non-governmental organization in Israel dedicated to fighting terrorist organizations through legal action. Sowell was selected to be an editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy Symposium and was also appointed to a state board regulating health facility administrators by Indiana Governor Mike Pence.[11][12]
Sowell is a 2018 graduate of the Florida Taxwatch Citizenship Institute and is a Club for Growth Fellow. He was a Historically Black College and University Fellow with the Higher Educational Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F.) Fellow.
Military service
While in graduate school, Sowell enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve as a Private First Class. After completing graduate school, he went to active duty and became an officer. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010 during one of the deadliest years for troops in Afghanistan.[13] Sowell continues to serve his nation in the United States Navy Reserve.