The UA Cooperative Education and Professional Practice Program has seen several staff changes since the retirement of director Roy Gregg.
Naomi Powell, the program’s new director, said she hopes to further office’s success with Amy Ratliff as new associate director.
“My first position in the co-op office was that of receptionist,” Powell said. “Since that time I have held every position in the co-op office. This has given me invaluable insight into how our program has evolved into one of the most respected co-op programs in the Southeast.”
Powell started her career working at the University of Alabama’s Career Center and later transferred to the co-op office. After working in the human resources department for Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, she came back to the program, working her way up to director.
Gregg said Powell will provide continuity for the office.
“Knowing the companies that we work with on a first name basis and having people at the top who aren’t totally new to your program is a significant advantage,” he said. “Naomi brings something that a lot of co-op programs don’t have; she worked at Mercedes and coordinated the Mercedes co-op program. She has industry experience and has worked on the other side, and now she has administrative experience to work on ?the University side.”
Powell said Gregg had a natural talent for working with both employers and students.
“The program grew exponentially during his tenure because he believed in adapting quickly and responding to the needs of the student population,” she said. “He never boxed the program in, by looking to the future for potential growth opportunities.”
The co-op program at The University of Alabama has grown steadily throughout the years.
“The program started out very small with approximately 100 students,” Powell said. “Now we have grown to approximately 800 students a year, and our co-op program is one of the largest in the Southeast.”
The co-op program has existed for 51 years, and Powell said each day brings new opportunities.
“There is an incredible need for a successful co-op program to bridge the gap for students between the classroom and their career goals. As the student population continues to increase, we will work to identify new employer partnerships to accommodate this growth,” she said. “We must remain flexible to the ever-changing employer and student needs while maintaining the integrity of our program.”
Powell said the program will move forward with new initiatives, building on its strong foundation.
“[I want to] identify opportunities to further involve faculty with the development of new employer partnerships and student relationships, and reach outside of the Southeast to develop new employer partnerships all across the United States,” she said. “This is necessary to meet the demands of the growing out-of-state student population.”
Stepping into Powell’s former position of associate director is Amy Ratliff, a Tuscaloosa-native who received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University. After 16 years of working in the Division of Student Affairs office, she transferred to the co-op five years ago.
“I love working with the students. I love working with employers. I love that we can kind of bridge the gap between the two and provide opportunities for the students to grow and excel and have those opportunities when they graduate,” Ratliff said. “A lot of our students get full-time offers when they graduate, so there’s incredible benefit to participating in the program.”
Honored to receive the promotion, Ratliff said getting to witness student growth during their college experience is rewarding.
“Once you see a student enter the program, you see them as a freshman or sophomore and sometimes even in later classes; they grow so much, just immensely in their program,” she said. “They mature, their GPA’s rise, they get the skills and the experience on the job, they have the opportunity to professionally develop through networking and management opportunities.”
