A Portrait of Excellence: Northeastern Honors “Mo” Cowan
Among those who spoke in tribute to William “Mo” Cowan ’94 (fourth from left) were (from left): Dean James Hackney; Roger Michel, executive director of the Institute for Digital Archaeology, who arranged for the portrait to be painted; Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Chief Justice Kimberly Budd; Stacy Cowan ’97 (with her father, Emmanuelle Miller); former Governor Deval Patrick; and former Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Chief Justice Roderick Ireland.
Photographs by David Leifer
A portrait of former Massachusetts Senator William “Mo” Cowan ’94 painted by artist Sharman Altshuler now hangs in the Northeastern Law Library, honoring Cowan’s service as a US senator representing Massachusetts. The portrait’s installation brought scores of Massachusetts dignitaries to the law school for the October unveiling.
“Northeastern University will always be my north star,” Cowan said. “It was here I learned that the law isn’t just some construct or even an academic pursuit. … We were being armed with weapons for justice and equality.”
Left: William “Mo” Cowan ’94; Right: April English ’00, chief secretary to Governor Maura Healey ’98; Massachusetts Secretary of Labor Lauren Jones; and Alice Alexander ’79, former dean of Northeastern Law’s co-op program.
Cowan held several top roles under former Governor Deval Patrick, serving as his chief legal counsel, chief of staff and senior advisor. When US Senator John Kerry stepped down in 2013 to join the Obama administration, Patrick tapped Cowan to fill the vacant seat. Since then, Cowan has built a distinguished career spanning public service, law and business — serving as partner at a major law firm and president and CEO of ML Strategies and holding senior leadership roles at General Electric before becoming chief legal and external affairs officer at Devoted Health.
Roderick Ireland, former chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and a distinguished professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern, first met Cowan when he was a student at Northeastern Law. He described Cowan as a “humble, hardworking and grounded” leader who rose from modest beginnings to hold powerful roles in law, government and business.
Cowan is “the epitome of grace under pressure,” said Massachusetts Chief Justice Kimberly Budd.
“I think about the many, many things I’ve learned from this extraordinary man. You don’t accomplish anything before you make friends. … You make a connection. You take the time to hear and to listen and to care about the interests of others.”
Share
The Center for Global Law and Justice (CGLJ) has released a revised edition of its water primer, The Human Right to Water in the United States: A Primer for Lawyers and Community Leaders, updated by Annaliese Woltornist ’28 and Professor Martha Davis.
Professor Patricia Williams recently received a remarkable series of honors recognizing her transformative career.
Professor Erin Islo, who was selected for Northeastern University’s 2026 University Excellence in Teaching Award
