Joan Powell serves as The Big West women's volleyball coordinator of officials.
Powell comes to The Big West with thirty-two years of coaching experience and thirty years of teaching experience at the high school level. Joan has been a PAVO National referee for over thirty years and a USAV National referee for over twenty. She officiated the NCAA Division I, II & III championships several times and was previously the first NCAA National Coordinator of Volleyball Officials. Powell has received a variety of accolades ranging from the 1998 Disney Teacher of the Year to the Gold Whistle Award presented at the NASO Summit. Joan has been inducted into 7 Halls of Fame and in 2018 she received USA Volleyball’s highest award, the Harold T. Friermood, “Frier” Award.
Joan is currently the coordinator of officials for the first-ever Volleyball Consortium for the Western five: The Big West, Pac-12, Mountain West, Big Sky, and West Coast Conferences. Powell has a leadership team responsible for recruiting, training, assigning, observing, evaluating, and managing the five western conference’s officials, as well as communicating with coaches. The team consists of deputy coordinator Margie Ray, line judge assignors Rena Smith, Tyrone Toloy and Tom Ulibarri, and video coordinators Matt McShane and Kim Swetz.
Joan Powell has served as the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials’ (PAVO) president for five terms, the National Association of Sports Officials Board of Directors for two terms, and the National Federation of Rules Committee. Joan also presented at the NASO Pre-Summit. She is a clinician, trainer, and evaluator who works with the NCAA/PAVO clinicians’ cadre, USAV’s Impact Certification and Coaching Accreditation Program, and is an NFHS content author.
In 2008 she traveled with the Women’s National Team as their team leader to the Pan Am Cup, the World Grand Prix, and the Olympic Games in Beijing. Powell received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arizona and currently resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In 2023, Powell was honored as the NASO Gold Whistle Award winner. Created in 1988, the distinction is among the most coveted awards in the world of sports officiating. Designed to recognize the efforts of outstanding citizens who also happen to be sports officials, the Gold Whistle Award honors an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to the betterment of officiating.