CHANEL T. ROWE: “I bring gender, race and age diversity,” said FIU’s youngest trustee, now named senior counsel for Johnson & Johnson. “I know that just being me, I present an image of possibility.” PHOTO COURTESY OF FIU

MIAMI, Fla. – Attorney Chanel T. Rowe, who became the first African American woman to serve on the Florida International University Board of Directors, has achieved another milestone in her career.

Rowe was recently hired as the senior counsel and policy litigator for pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, marking the first time a woman of Jamaican descent is serving in that role

Rowe, who’s also the only current Black member of FIU’s Board of Trustees, and at age 33 the youngest to be appointed, will be in charge of rendering legal advice on various transactions to help ensure that they, and related agreements, meet business needs and align with Johnson & Johnson’s policies and procedures.

Rowe also will identify, assess and mitigate any legal risks for the company.

According to her bio, after graduating from FIU’s College of Law in 2014, Rowe went on to practice law at two firms and later clerked for a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Rowe also served as an enforcement attorney at the Miami regional office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where she distinguished herself as a top investigator of fraud and complex securities violations.

More recently she served as general counsel and partner at a leading global FinTech broker-dealer, facilitating the sale of more than $1 billion in securities across various alternative asset classes.

Rowe is a graduate of the Florida Bar’s competitive W.M. Reece Smith Jr. Leadership Academy and has served on several Florida Bar committees.

She publicly was recognized for her achievements as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, which recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in each state, in 2017, and in 2020 as an honored designee on the National Black Lawyers “Top 40 Under 40” list.

Rowe said she speaks to the aspirations of millennials looking to make their mark in an ever-changing world.

"I absolutely appreciate the importance of my presence on the board,” she said. “I bring gender, race and age diversity. I know that just being me, I present an image of possibility. I totally embrace that. I’m overjoyed by that.”

A first-generation college student and the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant mother, Rowe suffered as a small child when father died, leaving her mother to care for her brothers and sisters.

Despite the tragedy during her infancy, her journey took her from Jamaica to the United States, to law school, lawyer for two law firms, as enforcement attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, clerk for a federal judge, first Black woman on FIU’s Board of Trustees and now counsel for Johnson & Johnson.

She embraced the challenges and advocates for racial diversity in leadership roles.

Rowe said she’s an example of someone who was once often ignored and undervalued but her work ethics made her a notable figure in law and community service. Former FIU president Mark B. Rosenberg and his predecessor Dr. Kenneth A. Jessell both made a commitment to capitalizing on Black excellence that has for decades remained underdeveloped.

Angelique Ortega, an associate dean at FIU’s College of Law, said Rowe, who was the valedictorian, overcame obstacles to land a job with a big law firm following graduation and reach the upper echelon level of attorneys.

“It’s not always easy for a first-generation student with no long term connections in the legal community to navigate the complex legal employment market,” said Ortega. “She really understood that she needed to make her destiny. She’s really good at life, for lack of a better word."