Rice Powell Receives Order of the Golden Arrow Award

MC graduate Rice Powell

Mississippi College’s Order of the Golden Arrow Award goes to an outstanding leader of one of the nation’s premier healthcare companies.

A member of MC’s Class of 1977, Rice Powell will receive the prestigious honor at the university’s National Alumni Association dinner at Anderson Hall on October 25. It is one of the major events at the 2019 Homecoming on the Clinton campus.

Powell serves as CEO and chairman of the management board of Fresenius Medical Care. The company offers kidney dialysis services around the globe, including locations in metro Jackson. The company also distributes equipment and products used in the treatment of dialysis patients as well as offers clinical laboratory testing.

Powell has served as a member of the company’s management board since December 2005. Before joining Fresenius Medical Care North America, the Andover, Massachusetts resident was the vice president of operations with Ergo Science, Inc. in 1996-97. He served in various roles with Baxter Healthcare Corporation from 1978-1994.

The Mississippi College biology graduate is thankful for the career skills he picked up, the friendships he made and the Christian environment at the Baptist-affiliated university. “I learned to consider other perspectives while at MC – to see the other person’s opinion, all in an environment of trust and friendship,” he said.

“I have nothing but great memories of my four years in Clinton,” Powell added. “MC is always with me wherever I am in the world.”

Fresenius Medical Care is transforming healthcare by addressing root causes of chronic kidney disease, slowing disease progression and enhancing global care quality. In 2019, Powell announced the creation of the Global Medical Office as a key strategy to address kidney-related challenges in healthcare systems worldwide.

The Order of the Golden Arrow honors alumni or friends of Mississippi College who made outstanding achievements in their professions or careers. The award honors exceptional performance or leadership beyond the ordinary.

President Blake Thompson says Powell is an excellent choice for the annual award.

“Rice Powell has had a distinguished and successful career in the health care industry, and through his leadership, countless patients have led healthier and more productive lives,” Dr. Thompson said. “He has built his career on a set of MC values that exemplify hard work, faith and integrity. Perhaps just as importantly, he has never forgotten his Mississippi roots, and he makes our state proud.”

Thompson recently visited with Powell during a trip to the Boston area.

Rice and his wife, Joanne Powell, are members of Faith Lutheran Church in Andover, Massachusetts. The New England couple has two daughters. Hannah Powell is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University and now works in the addiction clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital. Their youngest daughter, Sophie Powell, is a student at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts.

The Alumni Association awards dinner begins 6:15 p.m. that Friday evening. Tickets cost $25.

For additional details on MC’s 2019 Homecoming activities October 24-26, contact Chad Phillips 601-925-3317 or cphillip@mc.edu