Susan Powell is currently professor and director of percussion studies at The Ohio State University School of Music in Columbus, Ohio. Powell is well known as a mallet keyboard specialist and considered one of the foremost ragtime soloists of her generation. Having a particular interest in increasing the repertoire and visibility of the xylophone as a featured musical voice, Powell has commissioned and composed multiple works for the instrument in this setting. She is the founder and director of LULU & Co. Novelty Ragtime Band, where she is featured as a xylophone soloist, arranger, and composer. She has presented showcase sessions and clinics at the Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, the Midwest Clinic, as well as multiple OMEA (Ohio Music Educators Association) conferences. An active chamber performer, she often appears with the Pendulum Duo and Sympatico Percussion Group at festivals, universities, and Percussive Arts Society events across the country. She has performed as a solo and chamber musician across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, and is the recipient of both the OSU Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching and the School of Music Distinguished Teacher. She currently serves as Secretary for the Ohio Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and her compositions are published by Keyboard Percussion Publications, Musicon Publications, and Whirlygigs Collective. Powell holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (BM) and Northwestern University (MM, DM) and is an artist/ educational endorser for Malletech, where her signature line of xylophone mallets will be available in the spring of 2024. Additional endorsements include Zildjian Cymbals, Remo Percussion, and Grover Pro Percussion.

Professor Powell has also traveled on different occasions to cities in Brazil, such as Curitiba, Sao Paulo, Recife, and Bahia, along with other Ohio State Faculty, to offer masterclasses to students from partner universities and know more about social projects involving music.