Charles “Mac” Powell
Irving
-Texas-
United States

A passionate scholar, coach and healer, Dr. Mac Powell is the fourth president of Bastyr University, one of the world’s largest and best universities committed to complementary and alternative medicine.

With over a decade of higher education management experience, Dr. Powell actively contributes to the strategic direction of healthcare and higher education. He serves as chair of the American Council of Education’s Commission on Educational Attainment and Innovation, and he is a former commissioner on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior Commission, a graduate of the WASC Assessment Leadership Academy, chair of the Council of Applied Master’s Programs in Psychology, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Performance Psychology.

He is former president of John F. Kennedy University, where he led the institution’s successful efforts to become a service-learning institution and a federally recognized and funded Hispanic Serving Institution. His prior experience was as a social worker, a counseling psychology faculty member, and a dean before becoming chief executive officer of WestMed College, a six-campus system focused on allied health education.

Dr. Powell holds bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and sociology; master’s degrees in business, sociology and clinical psychology; and a PhD in sociology from the University of Missouri.

As the author of over 50 articles, three books and two book chapters on the subjects of education, clinical psychology and performance psychology, his recent scholarship focuses on the role of accreditation in consumer protection, educational attainment, and the challenges of rising tuition costs for students. Dr. Powell speaks around the world on leadership, the role of personality in building teams and performance, and the future of healthcare and higher education.