Dowell has served the broader NIST community as a member of the NIST Assessment Review Board, NIST Safety Council, and the NIST People Council. For over 15 years, she has served as a mentor in NIST leadership programs. She has represented NIST on national and international standards committees for optics and photonics as well as external advisory committees on research innovation, photonics, and communications. Dowell has been recognized for her work fostering collaborations and leading high-performance research organizations with numerous awards, including the Presidential Rank Award, NIST’s Allen V. Astin Award, and the Arthur S. Flemming Award from George Washington University.