Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen Dies Unexpectedly

Janie Bowen

RICHMOND, VA. –  Virginia Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen died unexpectedly Tuesday morning.
 
Bowen steadily worked her way up through the ranks, from taking phone calls for the Department to eventually leading one of the largest revenue departments in the country.
 
During her term as Tax Commissioner, Bowen was the chief force behind several accomplishments that helped the agency better serve Virginians.
 
These included developing the Commonwealth’s model telework program, developing an Intranet to improve agency staff communication, creating a “Tax Academy” where new hires were trained in a variety of jobs, and spearheading a visioning process that helped focus the agency on the future.
 
Bowen earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government at the University of Georgia and a master’s degree at the University of Virginia.
 
Previous positions held by Bowen include Director of Tax Policy, Assistant Commissioner for Customer Service, Executive Commissioner for Policy and Administration and Deputy Secretary of Finance.
 
Governor Timothy Kaine appointed her Tax Commissioner in May of 2005.
 
Last week, Bowen also earned an award from the Telework Exchange organization for being the “driver” behind the Tax Department’s telework program.
 
For more information, contact Joel Davison at (804) 786-3507 or via email at joel.davison@tax.virginia.gov.