Stephen Bowen, the teacher who served in the Maine State House of Representatives

Many times excellent educators become successful politicians. This is true of Stephen Bowen, a social studies teacher from Maine who also served in his state’s House of Representatives.

Stephen was born in Portland, Maine, on June 6, 1969. Stephen earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, in 1991. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, in 1998.

After earning his degrees, Stephen taught middle school and high school social studies for ten years. He inaugurated his career as a teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, where he taught from 1997 to 2000. He then returned to Maine, where he taught in Camden from 2000 to 2006. During his tenure there, Stephen was elected to the Maine House of Representatives on the Republican ticket. There he represented the communities of Camden and Rockport from 2002 to 2006.

After completing his term of office, Stephen became the director for the Center for Education Excellence at the Maine Heritage Policy Center. In that position, he wrote reports on education policy, school finance, state spending and debt, government transparency, and welfare reform. In 2011, Stephen was appointed Commissioner of Education by Maine Governor Paul LePage. In that position, the former teacher advised the governor on matters related to education, government reform, budget, and marine resources policy. Two years later, Stephen accepted a position with the National Council of chief State School Officers.