R. Steve Bowden grew up in Liberty, North Carolina, a product of the public schools. He was the first in his family to get a secondary degree. He attended Wake Forest University on an athletic scholarship. There he lettered in football, was named to the All ACC team in 1971 and played on Wake’s first conference championship football team. At Wake Forest, Steve met Carlyn Jeffries (a native of Burlington, NC) who he married in 1974; they have two daughters, Lori and Jennifer. After Steve's graduation from WFU, he taught school for two years at the Forsyth County Public Schools. Thereafter, he went to the Norman Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. He graduated as a member of the law school’s first class. Steve is in private practice (R. Steve Bowden & Associates, PC) handling civil litigation. His primary areas of practice are Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation. Steve’s wife, Carlyn, is a two-time graduate of Wake Forest with a BA degree and an MBA. She currently manages the law firm. His daughter, Jennifer, is an attorney in practice with R. Steve Bowden & Associates. She graduated from the Elon School of Law. His daughter, Lori earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School and is currently employed by Ross Dress For Less in New York City.