Lia M. Powell is the Executive Director for the Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA), a global non-profit trade association dedicated to advancing quality initiatives for the electronics supply chain. Lia has been an integral part of its operations and program development since she joined the Association in 2008.

During her tenure with IDEA, she has significantly contributed to the development of new programs, products, and improved policy and processes, including the development of a comprehensive new membership requirements process and IDEA-QMS-9090, a new quality management system standard that establishes specific requirements and practices for independent distributors of electronic components; the redesign and compilation of the new revision of the industry's first consensus based component visual inspection standard, IDEA-STD-1010: Acceptability of Electronic Components Distributed in the Open Market; the expansion and design of the updated IDEA-ICE-3000 Certification Program, the first professional inspector certification exam available to the industry for electronic components purchased from the open market; and the development and deployment of the new Qualified Program Participant Company Program, that sets specific standards and requirements for participating test services companies.

Lia obtained a Bachelor's degree in International Affairs/Political Science summa cum laude. She has worked within the non-profit sector for over 14 years in program and operations management with domestic and international organizations. In addition, she has served on the SAE G-19D Committee and is a contributing writer for the EBN blog, The Big IDEA. She enjoys volunteering in her community, writing, mentoring local youth, and various mediums of art.