Lonnie A. Powers

Lonnie A. Powers has served as Executive Director of MLAC since it was established in 1983. He has more than 41 years of policy and legal experience at the state and national levels, having devoted the majority of his career to establishing, building, sustaining and revitalizing legal aid organizations. In his role as Executive Director, Lonnie’s primary responsibilities include increasing funding for civil legal aid; enhancing partnerships with the bar, the legislature, the judiciary, and the public; and strengthening legal aid programs across the Commonwealth. He serves on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Committee on Pro Bono and is active in the American, Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations. He directed the Massachusetts Legal Needs Survey (2003). Lonnie began his legal career in his native Arkansas, first with the Attorney General’s Office and later with Legal Services of Arkansas, where he served as Executive Director. He earned his JD from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and is admitted to practice in Arkansas, Missouri and Massachusetts. He lives in Newton with his wife, Nancy Israel, and daughters Amanda and Jessica.