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Biography Janet Cowell - NC State Senator, Wake County Lifelong Democrat Lives in Raleigh, just steps away from the NC State Fairgrounds Second term State Senator Attends St. Paul AME Church MBA from Wharton School of Business Cyclist – bikes to work a couple of times per week Named “Freshman Legislator of the Year” by the Raleigh News & Observer in 2005 Named “Senator of the Year” by the Conservation Council of North Carolina in 2007 A History of Public Service Janet Cowell’s family has a history of public service – her father is a retired Methodist Minister and her mother is a public school teacher. Cowell served two terms on the Raleigh City Council before being elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2004. She is now serving her second term as a State Senator representing Wake County. A Greater Appreciation of American Democracy Cowell was an exchange student in the People’s Republic of China when the Chinese Democracy Movement erupted in the spring of 1989. Forced to watch the movement as a bystander, Janet returned to the United States determined to play an active role in her community and take part in important decisions. A Wealth of Business Experience Cowell has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and an MA in International Relations from the Lauder Institute. She worked as a securities analyst with Lehman Brothers and Hongkong Shanghai Bank in Hong Kong and later in business development with SJF Ventures, a venture capital firm in Durham, NC. She has also worked with a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Corning, Pfizer, International Paper, and State Farm Insurance. A Record of Making Government Work During her service on the Raleigh City Council and in the State Senate, Janet has used her business skills to improve operational efficiency and to make government more responsive to citizen concerns. As a State Senator, she worked with a broad group of stakeholders to require energy efficiency measures in state and university buildings – an initiative that will save tens of millions every year. Cowell also passed a bill to invest in information technology across state government so we will have better data upon which to base decisions and detect fraud.