Brett Powell

Education and Certifications

Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Dissertation Expenditures, Efficiency, and Effectiveness in U.S. Undergraduate Higher
Education: A National Benchmark Model
August 2009
Master of Business Administration
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
June 2003
Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting
University of Louisiana at Monroe
May 1989
Certified Public Accountant

Professional Experience
Director

Arkansas Department of Higher Education

February 2015 to present

Oversight of staff whose jobs are to carry out the policy directives of the AHECB, to
coordinate the activities of and to develop funding recommendations for the states 11
public universities and 22 public two-year colleges as well as several other post-secondary
entities. In addition, the agency is responsible for distributing approximately $170 million
state financial aid programs.
Responsible for Arkansas higher education master planning efforts, including policy
development
Communicate with Arkansas legislative committees, legislative leaders, governors staff and
others regarding higher education issues
Member of the Governors Cabinet
Vice Chair Governors Workforce Cabinet
Gubernatorial appointments:
o Computer Science and Technology Task Force
o Arkansas Workforce Development Board
o Arkansas Career Education Board
o Working Group on Highway Funding

Brett Powell

Vice President for Administrative Services

Ouachita Baptist University

November 2006 to January 2015

Chief Financial Officer of the university

Give leadership to all financial and administrative functions of the university including
auxiliary, budget, accounting, investment management, financial aid, student accounts,
information technology, human resources/payroll, purchasing, risk management,
construction administration, environmental stewardship and facilities management

Set policy for administrative operations of the university

Lead the operations of the Business Services, Student Financial Services, Facilities
Management, Human Resources, and Information Technology Services offices of the
university.

Report to Board of Trustees Finance, Endowment and Executive Committees on a quarterly

or semi-annual basis; Board of Trustees as needed

Member of Administrative Council, Strategic Planning Committee, and other university

leadership roles

Accomplishments:

Lead a $45 million construction project, the largest in university history; including arranging
long-term construction financing
Led operating budget decision-making process to adjust for revenue declines
Revised institutional financial aid practices to reduce discount rates and standardize awards
Implemented an Academic Demand and Cost Analysis process
Implemented or updated administrative policies related to budgeting, conflict of interest,
contracting, debt management, purchasing and travel, environmental stewardship, executive
compensation, investment management, staff performance evaluation, gift acceptance and
information technology acquisition
Instituted Strategic Initiative Grant program to fund strategic planning projects
Implemented a significant environmental stewardship emphasis including green building,
recycling, energy conservation
Significantly increased transparency of financial reporting from administration to faculty/staff
and to board of trustees
Led the development of online degree programs, the first for the university

Brett Powell
Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

March 2003 to November 2006

Give leadership to all functions of university financial, payroll and procurement operations,
including a staff of approximately 40

Responsible for review and application of accounting principles related to public entities
and modification of policies and procedures to comply with changes

Responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all internal and external financial
reporting, including annual financial statements

Review operations and implement changes for improved efficiency

Responsible for university income tax compliance

Recommend university policy revisions/policy implementation

Serve on and lead university committees as directed

Accomplishments:

Improved communication between the Finance unit and campus departments through the
distribution of a quarterly newsletter, the initiation of a unit website and the initiation of
periodic information sessions
Created new policy or revised existing policies in the areas of cash handling, debt collection,
tuition waivers, payroll distribution and others.
Increased employee job satisfaction by surveying staff on their job-related needs and facilitating
changes to meet those needs
Improved the reporting of financial information to campus departments and units through the
selection and implementation of a web-based reporting tool
Revised training methods to provide campus users of Finance unit services with more relevant
information in a format that more closely meets their needs
Improved document management and storage through the implementation of a document
imaging system
Enhanced student convenience by offering online payment options with multiple forms of
payment
Implemented a procurement card program to give faculty and staff a more convenient method
of making purchases on behalf of the university

Brett Powell

Director of Financial Services

University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

January 2001 to February 2003

Supervise a staff of nineteen including accounts payable, accounts receivable, budget, fixed
assets, general ledger, grants and contracts administration, payroll, and procurement functions.

Responsible for review and evaluation of accounting policies and procedures for potential
efficiency and effectiveness improvements, including evaluation of existing and potential
software applications.

Responsible for review and implementation of newly issued accounting pronouncements, as

well as applicable state and federal regulations.

Preparation and oversight of annual budget in excess of $33 million, including all revenue and
expense projections.

Preparation of all internal financial reports and annual financial statements.

Accomplishments:

Implemented an online purchase requisition system to streamline and speed up the

procurement process
Revised the monthly budget reporting process to provide improved information to departments
Initiated a training program for users of office services to improve interaction among those
users and office staff
Established an accounting system to provide interaction between the state office and 75 county
offices for financial activity occurring in each office
Revised accounting procedures and implemented new accounting software to improve the
operations of a related not-for-profit entity

Director of Financial Services

Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR

September 1998 to December 2000

Supervise a staff of ten including human resources, cashier, collections, accounts payable,
bookkeeping, mailroom and printing department.

Responsible for completely updating all accounting systems and policies. Reviewed existing
programs and proposed necessary updates, worked closely with IT department regarding
programming requirements for new systems

Developed and implemented new accounting policies in many areas of financial operations

Brett Powell

Compilation of and reporting on annual budget in excess of $25 million, including all revenue
and expense projections; preparation of all internal financial reports and annual financial
statements

Implementation and continuous oversight of total return and spending policy approach to
endowment funds.

Senior Accountant/Manager

Larry A. Martin, CPA, Little Rock, AR

August 1989 to September 1998

Conducted or participated in over 150 audit and accounting engagements for clients with up to
$225 million in total assets with a major emphasis in banks; not for profit organizations,
including college and university; employee benefit plans and small businesses. Managed
accounting and auditing practice including engagement planning, staff supervision, review of
staff performance, and preparation of financial statements and reports.

Responsible for reviewing all new accounting and auditing pronouncements to determine
applicability to our firm and clients. Also, performed an annual inspection of our firms policies
and procedures for compliance with current accounting and auditing standards.

Teaching
Graduate:
Financial Reporting and Analysis
Economics for Business
Financing of Colleges and Universities
Undergraduate:
Personal Finance
Principles of Accounting
Intermediate Accounting
Institutional Accounting

Brett Powell

Publications and Invited Presentations

Powell, B.A., Gilleland, D.S., & Pearson, L.C. (2012). Expenditures, efficiency, and effectiveness in
U.S. undergraduate higher education: A national benchmark model. Journal of Higher Education,
Vol. 83 No. 1, January/February 2012.
Academic Demand Analysis: A Data Model for Resource Allocation Decisions. NACUBO Planning
and Budgeting Forum. September 2012.
Benchmarking Expenditures for Efficiency and Effectiveness. NACUBO Annual Meeting, July 2013.

Memberships and Service

Higher Learning Commission Peer Review Corps
SREB Commission on College Affordability
Arkansas 529 College Investment Plan Board Member
Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault Board Member
Southern Association of College and University Business Officers
Small Institution Constituent Committee 2011 2013
Benchmarking Committee 2013 2015
Committee Chair 2014 - 2015
Arkansas Association of College and University Business Officers
Board of Directors 2008 2014
President 2012 2013
City of Arkadelphia Water and Sewer Committee
Board Member 2008 2015