Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Powell worked in the general counsel's office of a major New England defense contractor and with the Federal Election Commission. Ms. Powell also served on the private staff of a United States Senator as a legislative assistant for foreign policy matters. She is a 1989 graduate of Boston College Law School and also attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy from 1984 until 1987. Ms. Powell received her Bachelor's Degree, with honors, from the University of California at Santa Cruz.