Meet Dr. Tracy R. Powell
CEO and Founder of Hidden Brilliance, empowering upper- and mid-level leaders to confront doubt, increase visibility, and advance.
A rare convergence of scholarship, service, and executive practice.
"The doubt you feel is not evidence of your limitations. It is evidence of your growth. The question is never whether you belong. The question is whether you are willing to ask yourself if what you believe is actually true."
- CEO & Founder, Hidden Brilliance
- PhD, Health Service Policy & Management
- Active Duty Officer
- Former Senior Advisor to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin
- Certified Executive Coach
- Certified Professional Coach
- Certified Federal Mediator
- Distinguished Toastmaster
- Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland Global Campus
- Generative AI Trained & Proficient
Biography
The leaders who change everything are not held back by skill. They are held back by a story they keep telling themselves. Dr. Tracy R. Powell helps them rewrite it.
Dr. Tracy R. Powell is a triple-degree scholar, Active Duty Officer, award-winning speaker, and nationally recognized executive coach whose work sits at the intersection of identity, leadership, and transformation. As CEO and Founder of Hidden Brilliance, she has spent over 18 years equipping upper and mid-level leaders, including Directors, Senior Managers, and executives, with the tools, clarity, and courage to stop shrinking and start leading at the level they were built for.
Dr. Powell specializes in something most leadership programs never touch: identity conflict, the silent force behind self-doubt, burnout, and invisible leadership. Through her proprietary Identity Conflict Framework, she guides leaders to emotional freedom, radical clarity, and full visibility so they can show up powerfully in every boardroom, every conversation, and every decision that matters. Her signature challenge to every client is simple and disarming: "Ask yourself, is it true?"
Over more than 18 years, Dr. Powell has delivered over 100 speeches and conducted more than 150 trainings across industries and continents. She has provided in-country technical assistance across more than ten nations, including France, Ghana, Zambia, Rwanda, Switzerland, Mozambique, the Republic of Georgia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, bringing her expertise in leadership, public health policy, and human performance to global stages. She served as Senior Advisor to former United States Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin.
Dr. Powell holds three degrees from the University of South Carolina: a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, a Master of Social Work, and a PhD in Health Service Policy and Management. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, where she teaches Healthcare Administration, Public Health Administration, Healthcare Policies, the U.S. Healthcare System, and Strategic Issues in Healthcare Leadership. A decorated military officer, she has received over 40 military awards and recognitions, including the prestigious Surgeon General's Exemplary Service Medal.
She is the author of Practical Leadership: Lessons Learned from Mickey, The Journey to Authorship: A Pocket Guide for Writers, and The Leadership Journal, and has developed a suite of practical leadership tools including BurnOut BINGO, The Visibility Check for Leaders, and The Thrive Meter, a proprietary instrument for measuring productivity, engagement, and innovation at work. As Founder of Tomorrow's Leaders, she has served and supported over 5,000 South Carolina-based students.
Governance & advisory service.
Dr. Powell's influence extends to the highest levels of governance and advisory service.
- Central Carolina Technology College Commission Board
- DoD Walter Reed Institutional Review Board
- USPHS Women's Issues Advisory Board
- DoD Military Advisory Panel
- MOAA Executive Advisory Board
- University of South Carolina Black Alumni Association