Gerald W. Cowden Founder and Chair Emeritus, Meredith A. Cowden Foundation

Gerald “Gerry” W. Cowden is a retired Cleveland-based attorney whose four-decade legal career focused on entrepreneurs, growing businesses, and the investors who support them. He received his B.A. from Washington and Jefferson College and his J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the University of Akron Law Review. He founded Cowden Law Co. LPA to help families, small businesses, and emerging technology entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of business ownership.

In 2001, Gerry’s daughter Meredith was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at age 19, underwent a bone marrow transplant, and subsequently developed Graft vs. Host Disease — a serious complication that would define the next chapter of his life. The Cowden family came to view Meredith as one of the fortunate individuals to receive a second chance after a blood cancer diagnosis and resolved to give back and drive meaningful change.

In 2007, Gerry established the Meredith A. Cowden Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created to increase education and support for GVHD patients and to promote research and novel treatments for the disease. Under his leadership, the Foundation built a nationally recognized platform for patient advocacy, research funding, and physician and public education. Beginning in 2010, the Foundation launched the National Graft vs. Host Disease Symposium, a unique conference bringing together physicians, patients, caregivers, and family members around the best current information on GVHD treatment and late effects.

In 2025, Gerry transitioned to the role of Chair Emeritus, passing leadership to the next generation of the organization he built from the ground up.