UA Cooperative Education Program Names Director

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Naomi Powell was named director of The University of Alabama Cooperative Education and Professional Practice Program.

Powell has worked with UA Co-op for 20 years and will replace long-time UA Co-op director Roy Gregg, who recently retired.

Co-op allows students to alternate periods of full-time study with periods of full-time employment. This program offers work related to the academic major or career interests of each student. The experience enhances the students’ employment prospects after graduation.

The program has expanded to hosting more than 1,600 students per year. In addition, UA Co-op also added a Professional Practice program that allows engineering students to work full-time for an entire semester while still receiving full-time student status.

Powell began working for the University’s Career Center in 1990 before moving later that year to the Co-op office. Later, she spent five years working in the human resources department at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. in Tuscaloosa County before returning to UA Co-op in 2005, where she was appointed to serve as assistant director for the program.

At UA, she is active in the Professional Staff Assembly. Nationally, she serves as a board member for the Cooperative Education and Experiential Division of the American Society of Engineering Education.

Amy Ratliff will replace Powell as associate director of UA Co-op. She has worked with UA Co-op for five years and currently serves as membership committee chair for the Cooperative Education and Experiential Education Division of the American Society of Engineering Education.

The Co-op Program is located in 205 Hardaway Hall. To learn more, visit the program’s website.