Janet Cowell

Janet Cowell is chief executive officer for Girls Who Invest. Passionate about serving others, Cowell held publicly elected offices in North Carolina for 15 years prior to joining Girls Who Invest. The first woman elected state treasurer, she managed more than $100 billion in assets and health and retirement benefits, for over 900,000 members. During her eight years as treasurer, Cowell consistently achieved exceptional results and national recognition: She maintained the AAA bond rating for North Carolina—one of only 10 states with a AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies—and grew pension assets from $60 billion to $90 billion, achieving an eight-year return of more than 7.5 percent.

Cowell also believes in the power of education. She chairs the Executive Education Board of the Wharton School of Business. During her time as treasurer, she was a member of the North Carolina Community College Board and State School Board.

Prior to public service, Cowell held positions in the private sector in the U.S. and abroad. She was a securities analyst for Lehman Brothers and HSBC in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, and a business consultant with Sibson & Company, working with U.S. Fortune 500 companies.

Cowell serves on the boards of James River Group Insurance (NASDAQ: JRVR), Channel Advisor (NYSE:ECOM), and international human development agency FHI360, in addition to volunteering for various nonprofits. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and earned her M.B.A. from its Wharton School of Business and an M.A. in international studies from its Lauder Institute.