Jamal Allen Sowell is a business executive in the state of Florida. He served as Florida's Secretary of Commerce, serving as the chief executive officer of Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), the state's primary economic development agency under Governor Ron DeSantis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sowell assisted the Governor on keeping Florida businesses open during a national economic downturn. The DeSantis Administration called Sowell's efforts to support the state's pro-business policies, "indispensable" in making Florida "the beacon of opportunity for the entire country". After being one of the longest serving original cabinet members under DeSantis, Sowell resigned as Secretary of Commerce to attend military training for the United States Navy Reserve.
Early life and education
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.
Sowell's parents both hail from the rural Florida regions of Hamilton, Lake County and Jackson 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. 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, and received the UF Outstanding Young Alumni Award. He sits 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. 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 worked for Congressman Todd Young. He 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 by The Federalist Society to be an editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy Symposium. Sowell was also appointed to a state board regulating health facility administrators by Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
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 was commissioned as an Officer. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010 during one of the deadliest years for troops in Afghanistan. Sowell continues to serve his nation as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve.