Since February 2022, he has served as a member of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board by appointment of President Joe Biden.

[15] Owens, the campaign's Southern director, was dispatched to Phoenix to round up delegates ahead of the April 16 Arizona caucus and ended up staying in the state.

[8][16] He took an active role in state politics, working in 1992 as a fundraiser for the Clinton-Gore campaign, and, on January 16, 1993, he was elected chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, after incumbent Bill Minette declined to run for a second term.

[18] [19][20][21] After moving to Phoenix, Owens entered private practice, joining the law firm Brown & Bain as a regulatory attorney and registered lobbyist.

[24] In 2003, when friend Janet Napolitano was sworn in as Governor of Arizona, she appointed Owens to serve as director of the state Department of Environmental Quality.

[26] In 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Owens to serve on the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

[28] Following the resignation of Katherine Lemos in July 2022, President Biden appointed Owens as interim executive authority, and nominated him as chair of the board.

On November 17, 2022, the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held hearings on his nomination.