Dr. Powers is a clinical assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development. Having served schools and districts across the Commonwealth of Kentucky for 33 years, she retired from public education in May 2018. Previously a term faculty member at UofL, she returned to UofL in September 2018 in the role of a full-time clinical assistant professor. Dr. Powers worked in her first years to revise the principal preparation program, writing or editing eight of the 10 courses in the program sequence. The program was revised to capitalize on her strengths in continuous school improvement with an emphasis on transformational leadership. She has served as the program director of the Education, Administration, and Leadership program since January 2020. During this time her revision work expanded to leading the work relative to the Education Doctorate her program offers to ensure the practitioner-focused work is relevant, timely, and rigorous. Dr. Powers serves on the COGNIA Advisory Board for Kentucky, the Faculty Advisory Committee for the college, and is the UofL representative for the statewide University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI). She has been the recipient of the College of Education and Human Development Award for Outstanding Director of Graduate Studies (2024), Provost Award for Outstanding Director of Graduate Studies (2025), and the COGNIA Excellence in Education-Kentucky Award (2025).