Derek Bowens

Director of Elections, Durham County Board of Elections

Derek Bowens joined the Durham County Board of Elections in June of 2017 as the Director of Elections. Previously, Mr. Bowens was the Director of Elections in New Hanover County, North Carolina and has served as an election administrator since 2012. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Project Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is also a North Carolina Certified Elections Administrator and is a nationally certified elections administrator through the Election Center. Throughout his career, Mr. Bowens has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the National Association of Counties (NaCo), and CompTIA for innovation in election administration. He has participated in or overseen multiple elections, which includes 3 presidential elections, and has testified before the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee on funding for local election administrators. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Election Officials (Election Center) and is a member of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE), and the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions (PLEJ).