Anybody on hand for Dean Tim Dunnagan’s “new adventures” celebration in mid-April not only got to cheer on the Dunnagans. Along with the shrimp skewers and meatballs, attendees ate up Jo Powers’ very funny account of 9-to-5 life with the dean (ask her about the pants, if you weren’t there).
Powers, who has served as senior associate dean of the College of Health Sciences since 2016, was named near the beginning of 2024 to replace Dunnagan, following a national search; she’ll become dean July 1.
Powers has a lengthy track record of leadership in academic settings — and not just at Boise State. She served as the interim divisional dean for the School of Social Work from 2021 to 2022. Before that, she worked with students in the School of Social Work as a professor and coordinator of the master’s of social work program.
But she arrived in Idaho with the chops. She earned a doctorate in social work from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and while in North Carolina, served as K-12 director for at-risk services in the Durham School District.
“It was a great opportunity to lead a very diverse group of people and disciplines,” she said. Her leadership experience at UNC moved west with her; she has served as faculty senate president at Boise State and is highly involved in Boise State’s Strategic Enrollment Retention Plan.
Her perspectives on higher education also have been informed by her experiences on other campuses; she received her master’s in social work from San Diego State University and her bachelor’s degree in family life sciences from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.
COHS’ achievements and successes are many, and Powers is cognizant of the college’s bright trajectory.
“One of the things I’m most excited about is that we can keep the momentum with the work we are doing,” she said. “What I really want to do is continue that good work, building and cultivating relationships on campus and in the community. I’d like to get to know people in their space.”
Last year, Powers was named chair of the St. Luke’s Health System Treasure Valley Community Board. She’s married to a local physician and is the mother of two teen sons, deepening her connections within the community.
The various vantage points inform her view of the college and her role within the college — and she’s excited about the potential to continue building multidisciplinary approaches, amplifying research and getting to know faculty, students, alumni and supporters.
“I appreciate the great people that I get to continue working with, and I have a passion for the great things happening and a desire to keep building on the good work that folks are doing,” Powers said. “It’s really important to me that our college is a good campus partner. And we are a trusted partner to our community stakeholders, and I really want that to keep going.
“Our college is seen as having so much potential,” she said. “And it’s true and very exciting.”
Powers expects to take some time off with her family in June. After that, expect to see the new dean everywhere all at once, listening to members of the COHS team and mapping out the academic year with college leadership. When asked, she expressed excitement about sitting in on department meetings. Excitement. About department meetings.
It’s that wicked sense of humor. It’s becoming a COHS dean must-have.