OSU IEM alum Kent Powers builds a legacy of service

OSU IEM alum Kent Powers builds a legacy of service

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Media Contact: Desa James | Communications Coordinator | 405 744 2669 | [email protected]

Oklahoma State University's College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology is home to countless graduates who have carried their engineering education into meaningful careers. One School of Industrial Engineering and Management alumnus has done just that while embodying the spirit of service and humility: Kent Powers.

Kent, a 1976 graduate, has spent decades quietly impacting lives across Oklahoma. His success in the oil industry opened many doors, but it's his dedication to helping others walk through theirs that defines his story. For Kent, giving back is more than a choice. It is a way of life.

Kent joined CEAT in 1972 with a natural curiosity about how systems work and how they can be improved.

"I always had a passion for digging into the details and understanding how certain systems help address issues," he said.

That curiosity led him to the IEM program where professors encouraged him to see engineering not only as a technical discipline but also as a pathway to leadership in business.

By graduation, Kent had developed both the analytical skills of an engineer and the management mindset that would define his career. The combination proved valuable early on, helping him secure a spot in a competitive management development program at Conoco, a turning point he credits as the spark that "jump-started" his career in the oil industry.

Over his 33-year career in the oil industry, he spent the last 19 years with CITGO, where he served for 10 of those years as General Manager of Terminal Facilities and Pipelines before retiring.

But when asked what stands out most from those years, he didn't point out accomplishments on paper, but to the teams he worked alongside.

"The biggest takeaway was the people I worked with… being able to apply my education and personal skills to a common goal was incredibly rewarding, but the people I worked with, the achievements we made along the way, because it's a team effort, that's what stands out the most" Kent said.

For Kent, the IEM program offered something unique among engineering degrees. While many disciplines focus on designing specific systems or technologies, IEM blends technical knowledge with leadership and problem-solving skills that translate across industries.

"What appealed to me was the idea of having an engineering degree as a baseline of education, but then applying it to the business side," Kent said.

That perspective opened doors throughout his career.

"You're not limited to just one skillset," Kent said. "You have enough knowledge to coordinate significant improvements and bring different disciplines together to solve a problem."

Kent believes that versatility continues to make the program valuable for students today, particularly those interested in leadership roles within technical industries.

The Kent & Sheryl Powers Endowed IEM Scholarship

Kent and his wife Sheryl believe deeply in the power of education to change lives. Knowing how pivotal OSU was to Kent's career, they established the Kent & Sheryl Powers Endowed IEM Scholarship in 2015.

Over the years, the Powers make a point to meet personally with each of their scholarship recipients. In 2025-2026, the scholarship fund is now benefitting nine IEM students.

"The students continue to raise the bar, through their communication skills, what they're doing at OSU, and their dreams moving forward," Kent said.

He especially admires students who volunteer their time, noting how service sets young professionals apart when interviewing for jobs.

Kent shares guidance from his own journey, including a story he often recounts from his freshman year: a humbling first chemistry test that he failed. "It was a life-changing lesson," Kent said. One that quickly shifted his freshman mindset from prioritizing social time to committing fully to his education. It's a message he hopes today's students carry with them: challenges sharpen us, perseverance defines us and giving back enriches us.

A Life of Service

Since retiring in 2009, Kent has embraced service with his free time. It began with Tulsa's Habitat for Humanity, where he joined a longtime volunteer group known as the Tuesday Morning Miracle Workers, who has helped build/renovate 102 Habitat homes and counting. This group has also gotten involved with a new development called the Eden Village of Tulsa, by building front porch steps for a 63 tiny home community for chronically homeless individuals in Tulsa.

Eden Village is designed as a series of cul-de-sacs, creating small neighborhoods within the larger community. Each resident has their own roughly 400-square-foot home, along with access to shared spaces like a community center and greenhouse.

The goal is not only housing, but restoration.

Residents receive access to medical care, social support, and opportunities for skill development, helping them rebuild stability in their lives.

For Kent, seeing those changes firsthand makes the work meaningful.

"You can tell they're in a whole better world," Kent said.

Impact That Lasts

The Powers' commitment to helping others extends far beyond a single organization or project.

Many of the students who have benefited from the Powers' scholarship, like senior Will Clemmons - who has already secured a job after graduation all while serving on the leadership team for OSU's Into the Streets program - are continuing the cycle of service that the Powers value.

Outside the university, the service impact continues to ripple across communities. Families who once struggled to find stable housing are receiving the keys to their first homes through Habitat for Humanity. Chronically homeless individuals are moving into safe, supportive communities at Eden Village.

Taken together, those efforts represent thousands of volunteer hours and countless lives touched.

But for Kent, the motivation behind it all remains simple.