Rachel K. Powell

Deputy General Counsel

Email: rpowell@tennessee.edu
Phone: 865-974-0525

Rachel Powell joined the Office of the General Counsel in 2017. In the position of Deputy General Counsel, Rachel is responsible for supervising all University litigation, and she serves in a supervisory role with regard to other attorneys in our office handling student affairs, faculty affairs, and employment matters. She represents the University in litigation and administrative matters, including employment and other civil litigation, agency investigations, and administrative hearings of student disciplinary and academic matters. Rachel maintains a broad practice area within student affairs, including student conduct, student life and activities, and disability accommodations. She also advises on issues involving Title IX, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Clery Act.

Rachel received a B.A., cum laude, in history from the University of Tennessee. She earned a J.D., with high honors, from Emory University School of Law, where she served as Executive Articles Editor of the Emory Law Journal and was elected to the Order of the Coif. After law school, Rachel served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Ed Carnes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.