Nicholas N. Owens

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Legendary Washington connector and advisor, champion of American business owners, proud Mississippian, Nicholas N. Owens succumbed to cancer in Washington, DC on October 24, 2020, surrounded by loved ones. He was 45.

The son of Tommi Owens, Nick was born on November 28, 1974 in Mobile, Alabama, and grew up in Wiggins, Mississippi, where his unshakeable love for the Magnolia State and his love of politics took root.
Nick began his political career regularly volunteering for then-U.S. Congressman Trent Lott. Even as Mr. Lott rose up the ranks to U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Senator Lott would always take Nick’s telephone calls and encouraged Nick to remain politically active.
Inspired by Senator Lott and driven by his own self-determination, Nick moved to Washington, DC in 2001 to serve on the Transition Team for President George W. Bush and later served as the Assistant to the Chairman & Director of External Affairs at the National Credit Union Administration.
As a member of the Senior Executive Service, Nick was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006 as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s fifth National Ombudsman and Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Enforcement Fairness. It was in this role that Nick was able to act as a national servant to his beloved Mississippi—and to the entire Gulf region—by working to improve responsiveness for disaster lending and contracting issues following Hurricane Katrina.
In 2009, Nick leveraged his professional expertise to launch his own enterprise: Magnolia Strategy Partners, LLC, a bipartisan government relations and corporate strategic consulting firm. As the CEO, Nick became the “go-to consultant for many small-business Davids facing the regulatory big government Goliath.” Small business owners would come to Nick when regulations threatened to harm their companies, which were often ill-equipped to otherwise resolve costly disputes. Nick would doggedly fight for his clients when faced with regulatory burden and built his legacy in protecting small business growth across the country.
Nick was an early and proud supporter of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 bid for the White House. Following the election, Nick joined President Trump’s Transition Team as an Economic – Business Issues Advisor. And in 2020, Nick was appointed to serve as the Co-Chair for the COVID-19 Legal and Government Affairs Task Force, where he helped businesses and nonprofits to more effectively navigate pandemic-related legal, regulatory and public policy complexities.
Nick is survived by his partner Mary Owens, his aunt and uncle Patricia and Bob Finley, and his beloved French Bulldog, Vern. He was preceded in death by his mother, Tommi Owens.
A public visitation service taking place from 3 – 5 PM on Saturday, October 31 at Cunningham Turch Funeral Home in Alexandria, VA. For more information, please call Cunningham Turch Funeral Home at 703-549-1800. At a later date, a graveside service will be held in Wiggins, Mississippi, where Nick will be laid to rest next to his mother and grandparents in his cherished hometown.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Nick Owens Memorial Fund to support St. Jude children and their families to fight childhood cancer, which was Nick’s lifelong philanthropic passion. To donate to St. Jude and for a complete obituary, go to www.NickOwensFellowship.com.