FAMU Interim President Beard Appoints Jamal Sowell as VP of Government Relations

Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida A&M University (FAMU) Interim President Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D., announces Jamal Sowell as vice president of government relations. He is responsible for leading the implementation of FAMU’s government relations strategy and promoting the university’s interests and conveying the president’s strategic vision at local, state, and federal levels.

“Jamal Sowell brings a wealth of experience in Florida public policy and regulatory matters that will greatly benefit our FAMU leadership team,” said Beard. “I look forward to working together to strengthen our relationships with policymakers to advance our strategic priorities and ensure that FAMU is represented in legislative developments affecting higher education, economic development, and workforce integration.”

An Orlando native of the Pine Hills neighborhood, Sowell is the former Florida Secretary of Commerce and CEO of Enterprise Florida, where he led the state’s economic development strategy, managed the state’s 14 international trade offices, and oversaw $250 million in assets. In 2023, Florida Trend recognized him as one of the 500 most influential business leaders in Florida. 

“I am honored to serve FAMU and return to higher education where I started my career. Interim President Beard has the experience and vision for a time such as this,” Sowell said. “As the son of two Rattlers who met at FAMU, and the husband of a FAMU graduate, I cannot understate the important role that FAMU has played in my life and its historic impact on the state of Florida and the world.”

Sowell has been the chief of staff for Port Tampa Bay and worked as special assistant to the University of Florida (UF) president. He is a member of the Florida Council of 100 and has served as a division president of Indelible, a national management consulting firm, providing audit, regulatory compliance, health, transportation, infrastructure, and technology advisory services.

Sowell holds a Bachelor of Arts in religion from UF, where he was student body president, a member of the Board of Trustees, and was chosen as the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. National Undergraduate Student of the Year. He obtained a Master of Education in higher education administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with coursework in 19th Century American Literature at Amherst College while working at both institutions. Sowell earned a law degree from Indiana University Bloomington, where he was a Pat Tillman Scholar. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Hampton University and was a Historically Black College and University Fellow with the Higher Education Leadership Foundation. 

Sowell’s parents, James and Lutricia Sowell from Jasper and Leesburg, Florida, met at FAMU and graduated in 1968. His father was member of the Beta Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Army ROTC, while his mother was a member of the Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Sowell has been a monthly donor to FAMU for over a decade and established a FAMU scholarship in his father’s name to support students from rural communities. His wife, Karen (Johnson) Sowell (’07), is a FAMU alumna and was an educator at James S. Rickards High School for 15 years where she was the teacher of the year.

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and is a Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan. He currently serves in the United States Navy Reserve.

 

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