Michelle White "Miki" Bowman (born May 25, 1971) is an American attorney who served as a member of the

Federal Reserve Board of Governors The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, commonly known as the Federal Reserve Board, is the main governing body of the Federal Reserve System. It is charged with overseeing the Federal Reserve Banks and with helping implement the m ...

since 2018. She is the first person to fill the community bank seat on the board, a seat created by a 2015 law. Previously, Bowman was the

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

banking commissioner, from January 2017 through November 2018. She also held senior staff positions at the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...

and

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

during the

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic ...

Early life and education

Bowman was born in Hawaii. When she was young, her family moved frequently, because of her father’s career in the U.S. Air Force. She lived much of her youth in Illinois, near St. Louis, and graduating from high school in

Council Grove, Kansas Council Grove is a city and county seat in Morris County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,140. It was named after an agreement between American settlers and the Osage Nation allowing settlers' wa ...

. Bowman graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence with a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising and Journalism. She then earned a Juris Doctor from

Washburn University School of Law The Washburn University School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of ...

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Uni ...

, graduating in 1996.

Career

U.S. Government

Bowman worked as an intern for Senator Bob Dole from 1995 to 1996. Between 1997 and 2002, she served as a counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and then to the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. In 2002, Bowman was appointed by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

as Director of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); in 2003, when the

was established, she became a Deputy Assistant Secretary and Policy Advisor to Secretary

Tom Ridge Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. ...

London

In 2004, Bowman's husband’s job took the couple to London. There, she started her own public affairs and consulting business, the Bowman Group; she remained active in politics as chair of Republicans Abroad UK.

Banking

Bowman returned to the U.S. in 2010, joining th
Farmers & Drovers Bank
her family's bank, as vice president, where she served as a director, compliance officer, and trust officer. The bank had assets of $181 million in 2017. Bowman left the bank to become the Kansas banking commissioner on January 31, 2017, after being nominated by

Kansas Governor The governor of Kansas is the head of state of KansasKS Const. art. I, § 3. and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Kan ...

Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Fr ...

in late 2016.

Federal Reserve

In April 2018,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

nominated Bowman to fill the 14-year term on the U.S. Federal Reserve Board of Governors of Stanley Fischer, which was to expire on January 31, 2020,and to occupy the board seat that represents community banks. In November 2018 Bowman was confirmed by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

by a vote of 64 to 34. On April 2, 2019, the White House announced that Trump planned to nominate Bowman to a full 14-year term on the Federal Reserve Board when her current term expired in January 2020.

Personal

Bowman is married to Wes Bowman. The couple’s two children were born during the five years that they lived in England, between 2004 and 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Michelle 1971 births Living people Federal Reserve System governors People from Council Grove, Kansas Trump administration personnel University of Kansas alumni Washburn University School of Law alumni