A former school social worker, Dr. Joelle Powers earned her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Social Work and then worked as the director of student services in the Durham Public Schools overseeing the district’s social workers, school psychologists and counselors, and organizing the professional development offered to these groups. She then became a professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at her alma mater. In 2012, Dr. Powers joined the faculty at the School of Social Work at Boise State University, where she oversees the graduate program. As a professor, her professional interests remain social work in schools, risk assessment, data-driven school interventions, child and adolescent mental health, and evidence-based practice. She maintains active memberships in the American Educational Research Association, the Council on Social Work Education, the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Association of Social Workers, the School Social Work Association of America, and the Society for Social Work and Research.