Welcome Newest Member Gene Kowel

Recently, President Larry Guenther introduced returning Rotarian Gene Kowel. Gene was previously a member of the Rotary Club of Savannah, Georgia. Hal Daub sponsored Gene. Gene Kowel is the FBI's Special Agent in Charge of the Omaha Field Office.

Director Christopher Wray named Eugene S. Kowel the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Omaha Field Office in October 2020. Mr. Kowel leads FBI agents, analysts, task force officers, and mission support staff throughout Nebraska and Iowa from the main field office in Omaha and eight satellite offices. Mr. Kowel joined the FBI as a Special Agent in 2005 and was assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force in the New York Field Office, where he led Criminal and Counterterrorism investigations. He completed deployments to Iraq in 2008 and Afghanistan in 2009 in support of the FBI’s counterterrorism mission.

Mr. Kowel was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent in 2010 and worked in the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters. In 2011, Mr. Kowel was selected as a Unit Chief in the International Terrorism Operations Section. In 2013, Mr. Kowel was named the Supervisory Senior Resident Agent leading the Savannah and Brunswick Resident Agencies (RAs) in Georgia, under the Atlanta Field Office.

Mr. Kowel was promoted in 2016 as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Los Angeles Field Office. He led ten squads investigating Violent Gangs, Transnational Organized Crime, Violent Crime, and Crimes Against Children. In 2019, he was selected as the Chief of Staff and Section Chief in the Intelligence Branch.

Mr. Kowel graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Political and Social Thought and earned his law degree from the New York University School of Law. Mr. Kowel served as an Assistant District Attorney leading criminal prosecutions in New York City before joining the FBI. He previously served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Virginia. Mr. Kowel and his wife Elysia have four children: Shaina, Talia, Abraham, and Levi.

Welcome to your new Rotary home, Gene!