Laurie was the Principle Investigator for the Vote Project grants from the Joseph P Kennedy Foundation and Administration on Developmental Disabilities from 2000 to 2007, a project vote team member, and supported the development of several of the NTAC publications.
Laurie Powers is a distinguished professor of Social Work and Social Research at Portland State University. Dr. Powers has been a Principal Investigator for 32 research projects, demonstration and training projects funded by federal agencies and national foundations. She has extensive experience in training, leadership development, systems improvement and outreach aimed at individuals with developmental disabilities, their family members, policy makers, and professionals.
Dr. Powers’s directed the National Center for Self-Determination and 21st Century Leadership, a multi-project, multi-site initiative focused on promoting self-determination and leadership development among people with developmental disability. She was Co-Investigator of the Medicaid Reference Desk, a project conducted in partnership with the Arc of the United States, TheArcLink Incorporated, and Oklahoma People First. She is the co-founder of the Alliance for Self-Determination, a national network of researchers and consumer leaders focused on self-determination.