Leading and Advocating Change-Conversation with FL Secretary of Commerce

4125 Cleveland Ave,Fort Myers FL 33990

10 April, 2021

Description

As Florida’s Secretary of Commerce and the President & CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), Jamal Allen Sowell speaks with you! As Florida’s Secretary of Commerce and the President & CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), Jamal Allen Sowell leads EFI, the principal economic development organization for the state of Florida. He assumed his role at the outset of Governor Ron DeSantis’s administration. With his team, Sowell works closely with economic development partners and private-sector businesses across the state to strengthen and diversify Florida’s economy. Sowell sets the course for an organization that spans the entire state and commands a strong international presence, as EFI strategically negotiates Florida’s partnerships in international commerce Saturday, 5:30 PM, Polo EFI and its partners around the state provide valuable services, assisting exporting companies and Florida-based firms that are interested in expanding internationally. Sowell and the EFI team leverage Florida’s unique strengths in a robust recruitment effort that includes a broad network of over a dozen international offices and six statewide trade offices. EFI offers many vital services that attract employers to our shores by facilitating their interest in relocating to Florida. EFI’s cohesive approach to trade further lays the groundwork that cultivates an international customer base for Florida’s exporting firms. Prior to joining EFI, Sowell served as Chief of Staff for Port Tampa Bay – Florida’s largest port by acreage – and a key economic engine in the Tampa Bay region, generating $17.2B of total economic value. During this time, Sowell was appointed by the Pinellas County Commission to the Pinellas County Economic Development Council and was active with the American Association of Port Authorities as a member of the Maritime Economic Development Committee. Sowell also served as Special Assistant to then University of Florida (UF) President Dr. Bernie Machen and as Assistant Corporate Secretary for the UF Board of Trustees. Sowell is a sixth-generation Floridian and veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan. Sowell served in the U.S. Marine Corps, enlisting as a Private First Class and combat engineer, and was eventually commissioned, completing his time as a Captain. His roles included stinger missile platoon commander, company executive officer, anti-terrorism force protection officer, electronic warfare officer, martial arts instructor and officer-in-charge of a Reserve Tank Unit. Sowell obtained a Master’s in Higher Education Administration and Policy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, while working at Amherst College. He also earned a law degree and graduate certificate in constitutional design from the Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law, where he was a Pat Tillman Scholar. Sowell worked for Congressman Todd Young and Shurat HaDin, a Non-Governmental Organization in Israel. The Federalist Society selected him as editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy Symposium. Then Indiana Governor Mike Pence appointed Sowell to a state board regulating health facility administrators. Sowell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from UF, where he was Student Body President, Vice Chairman of the Florida Students Association and a member of the UF Board of Trustees. He was awarded the UF Outstanding Male Leader Award, inducted into the UF Hall of Fame, received the UF Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and currently sits on the UF Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is a graduate of the Florida TaxWatch Citizenship Institute.