Closing General Session Keynote
Wednesday, November 9, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Dr. Linda Powell, MD, is professor and department head of Biology at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). Powell has served as department head for 15 years, guiding instruction and Biology offerings for thousands of students. She was the CCP 2006 recipient of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Powell is the CCP Co-Principal Investigator for the Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Grant, funded by the National Science Foundation. She has worked on this initiative for 22 years. CCP works with eight tri-state colleges and universities to increase the number of African American, Latino, and Native American students receiving baccalaureate degrees in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She is also the Principal Investigator for Raising Interest in STEM Education (RISE), a Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program grant funded by the Department of Education, which includes Drexel University’s College of Engineering as a partner and is designed to increase community college minority student STEM success.

Powell has been on the Board of Directors for the Greater Philadelphia Health Action, Inc., a group of federally qualified health centers serving the City of Philadelphia, for 12 years and has served as 1st Vice Chair of the board for nine years.