The School of Information Sciences Alumni Board has honored Pat Powell, senior vice president of business development for Information International Associates (IIa), with its 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Powell, a 1996 graduate of the school, received the honor on March 8 at the annual SIS Alumni & Friends Day. Alumni Board President Chrissie Anderson Peters presented Powell with the award.

"The School of Information Sciences is extremely pleased and proud to honor Pat Powell with this award," said Dr. Ed Cortez, SIS director and professor. "Pat is an accomplished information professional and manager whose stature is recognized nationwide."

At IIa, Powell develops and manages a variety of contracts, from open source research to information technology planning. She has also managed the company's Information Services Division and has been responsible for winning and managing libraries, information centers and records programs.

Over the course of her career, Powell has managed contracts for numerous libraries and information centers, including libraries on nine U.S. Air Force bases, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Department of Labor. Under her watch, many of those libraries consistently received exceptional ratings in evaluations; several received Best in Command awards from the Air Force.

In addition to a master's degree in information sciences, Powell holds bachelor's degrees in English and business administration. She serves on the SIS Advisory Board and has served as president of the SIS Alumni Board.

The School of Information Sciences is a nationally ranked graduate program in library and information sciences and is one of four schools within the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

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Contact: Joel Southern, jsouthern(at)utk.edu

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