[1] Powers served as executive assistant to Texas Governor Mark White from 1983 until 1985, working with business and political leaders across the state, to win two national competitions for technology consortia.
[3] In 1987, Powers is widely credited with crafting the incentives[4] that won (and later attempted to retain) the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SEMATECH), a public-private partnership jointly funded by the U.S. Dept.
Central to both selections was the support of the University of Texas, which over time benefited from an infusion of faculty and facilities that transformed its Cockrell School of Engineering into a world-class research institution.
[5] Powers led Austin's successful 1996 effort to recruit Samsung Semiconductor's initial U.S. manufacturing, or fabrication (fab) site, a $4 billion investment in the Central Texas economy.
[7] Powers also served as an expert witness on the impact of government-sponsored innovation on national and regional competitiveness, in 2006 testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Science.