Earl W. Powell was elected as a Knight Foundation trustee in June 2006.

He is a member of the Audit Committee and the chairman of the Investment Committee.

Powell co-founded Trivest Partners, L.P., a private equity investment firm in Miami, in 1981.  He co-founded Westshore Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm in Tampa. He is chairman of Powell Investment Advisors, an investment advisory firm in Miami. Before forming Trivest, he was a partner with KPMG Peat Marwick for 14 years. During that time he served as managing partner of the Miami office and partner-in-charge of executive education in New York.

He is a former trustee at the University of Florida and of the University of Florida Investment Company. Powell and his wife Christy are significant supporters of to the University of Florida and Stephens College, where Christy serves on the board of trustees.

Powell earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami in 1964 after earlier attending the University of Florida for three years. He is a former certified public accountant.