Black History Month Highlight

Nona Cohen-Bowman

VCUSD in 1974 at then-Solano Junior High School. She became a teacher/counselor at Hogan High School. She spent over 22 years in Human Resources, culminating her career as the Executive Director of Human Resources for the school district until her retirement in 2011. She has also served as Adjunct Professor of Chapman University (now Brandman University in Fairfield, CA) and as Advisor for the Field Service Council at Pacific Union College (Angwin, CA). She was recognized by the Association of California School Administrators as the Human Resources Administrator of the Year and the 2012 Women's Legacy Award by the Solano County Black Chamber of Commerce.

Nona Cohen-Bowman is a lifelong resident and educator of Vallejo, CA. Cohen-Bowman is a member and former president of the Vallejo Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a service sorority founded in 1913. She recently celebrated over 35 years of being in the illustrious sisterhood and retired from the Vallejo City Unified School District (VCUSD) after more than 37 years of dedicated service and teaching thousands of students in 2011.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, CohenBowman came to Vallejo at two months old. Attending all Vallejo schools, Cohen-Bowman obtained a B.A. from San Jose State University, a Master's in Administration from San Francisco State University, and a Master's in Science in Counseling from Sacramento State University. Ms. Cohen-Bowman began teaching in the

Ms. Cohen-Bowman is one of the founding members of the Willie B. Adkins Scholarship Program (formerly the Tanner Project), a comprehensive community/district co-funded support program for all high school students and their parents, aimed at increasing the number of VCUSD students enrolled in college.

Ms. Cohen Bowman has been recognized for her tireless work as an educator and in the community through proclamations from the City of Vallejo, Solano County, and various local and state officials. In addition to her role as an educator and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Ms. Cohen-Bowman is on the board of directors for Fighting Back Partnership, a non-profit organization "committed to preventing and ending poverty and its effects" in Vallejo and throughout Solano County, a member of the Solano County Chapter of The Links, Inc., one of the nation's oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture, and economic survival of African Americans, and a member of the National Council of Negro Women, whose mission is to lead, advocate for, and empower women of African descent, their families and communities.

After retirement, Cohen-Bowman was appointed the Interim Associate Vice President of Human Resources at Solano Community College. Later, becoming a recruiter for the Association of CA School Administrators, Ms. Cohen-Bowman now serves as co-Executive Director of West Contra Costa Administrators Association, and continuing to help students and administrators in VCUSD as a Substitute Administrator. Ms. Cohen-Bowman is also an entrepreneur, operating her own educational consulting business. Of the many roles she has possessed, her most significant accomplishment is being a mom to Shayla and grandmother to Xavier.

This Black History Month Highlight honoring Nona Cohen-Bowman was brought to you by the Vallejo Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

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