In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Cowan to serve the nation as the 22nd director of the Voice of America, the international broadcasting service of the United States Information Agency, which at the time had more than 100 million listeners each week and was broadcast in more than 47 languages.
In addition to his roles at VOA in 1994-96, Cowan also served as associate director of the United States Information Agency and as director of the International Broadcasting Bureau, which in addition to VOA was responsible for WORLDNET and Radio y Televisión Martí.