Jake Powell Announced as Associate Director of USU's Institute for Land, Water, & Air

LOGAN, Utah — Jake Powell will join the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University as associate director on Oct. 1, where he will lead the institute’s research and programs.

Powell comes to the institute from the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning in the S.J & Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, where he is an associate professor and Extension specialist.

Powell's appointment strengthens the institute's leadership team. Brian Steed, the institute's founding executive director, was named USU vice president for government and external relations earlier this year and continues as the institute's principal advisor. The institute now reports to his office, which keeps its work closely connected to university and state leadership.

Anna McEntire, who has helped guide the institute since 2022, moved from managing director to executive director. Powell joins Stephanie Frohman, associate director since 2024, who leads external relations and supports strategy across the institute's work.

In his role, Powell will oversee the institute’s research and programs, one of its strategic pillars, and expand the institute’s capacity to bring USU research to bear on natural resource challenges across the state.

“Jake has been part of USU’s land, water, and air work since before the institute was formally launched, so in many ways he’s been a colleague in this effort from the start,” said Anna McEntire, executive director of the institute. “He understands the land-grant mission in a practical way. He starts with the problems communities are facing and then works out how research can help. That’s what the institute is here to do, and I’m glad to have him helping lead it.”

Powell, a Utah native, has spent his career in land planning and conservation across the state. His work centers on collaborative planning and design, helping communities use those tools to address social, economic, and ecological challenges.

As an Extension specialist, he has developed educational programs and interdisciplinary projects that use design and planning to drive positive change statewide. His research spans watershed planning, stormwater management, water conservation, and open-space design, and he has worked with gateway communities throughout the Intermountain West as a co-director of the Gateway and Natural Amenity Region (GNAR) Initiative.

“I have long admired the mission, efforts, and impact of the institute and I am so honored to join the institute’s amazing team,” Powell said. “I have experienced the good that can come from connecting pressing issues with Utah State University’s research, teaching, and Extension faculty. I see so many exciting opportunities to build these kinds of connections on the horizon, and I am excited to be part of the growth of the institute moving forward.”

Powell's honors include national and regional Innovation and Creativity awards from the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals and the NACTA Faculty Teaching Award of Merit, which he has received twice.

With Powell leading its research and programs, the institute expects to expand its capacity to deliver timely, high-quality data to the leaders and communities working to balance natural resource needs with the state's rapid growth.

"The institute's work is reaching more of the state every year, and our project portfolio has grown to match," McEntire said. "Bringing Jake on means we can say yes to more of the research and projects Utah legislators, business, state agencies, and local communities are asking us to do."

About the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air

The Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University connects decision-makers with high-quality research to support informed land, water, and air policy in Utah. Through applied research, public convening, and cross-sector collaboration, the Institute helps the state address complex natural resource challenges. Learn more at usu.edu/ilwa.