Janis Bowdler

Janis Bowdler is president of our Solutions division, where she leads a team delivering a broad range of housing and advisory programs and initiatives across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A nationally recognized leader in advancing economic opportunity and inclusive prosperity, Bowdler has dedicated her career to advancing policies and investments that expand opportunity and unlock the full potential of all communities.

Most recently, Bowdler was a senior fellow both at the Equis Institute, where she worked on building a policy agenda for Latino economic mobility, and at AmericaFWD, a new nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that infrastructure investments build broadly shared wealth and prosperity.

Bowdler previously served as the first counselor for racial equity at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In this founding role, she advised the Secretary and Deputy Secretary and led efforts to ensure that federal programs prioritized families, workers, small businesses, and neighborhoods that have historically faced economic barriers. She established the department’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, launched a federal advisory committee to bring community insight into national policy conversations, and helped design public-private partnerships to drive investment into under-resourced areas.

Before joining Treasury, Bowdler led the JPMorgan Chase Foundation as its president, managing a $2 billion global portfolio focused on expanding economic opportunity. Her work included strengthening local economies in over 35 countries and supporting the firm’s $30 billion commitment to addressing structural barriers to wealth and financial security. Earlier in her career, she directed economic policy at UnidosUS, becoming a trusted voice on issues like housing, financial health, and asset-building in Latino communities.

For over two decades, Bowdler has built coalitions across government, philanthropy, the private sector, and community groups, from neighborhood redevelopment projects in Cleveland to national leadership roles in Washington and on Wall Street. She is known for piloting bold ideas, elevating grassroots insight, and scaling practical solutions that deliver real results. She co-authored “Building Equitable Cities” with former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and holds a master’s degree in urban policy from Cleveland State University.