ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – A Luray native and Bridgewater College graduate is stepping down from a top leadership position with Virginia State Police.

In a release today, spokesperson Matt Demlein announced that announced that Lieutenant Colonel Tricia Powers is retiring from her position as the Director of VSP’s Bureau of Administrative and Support Services.

Powers led the division for five years, overseeing the recruiting, hiring, and training of new officers, along with safeguarding sensitive criminal justice information and building State Police’s budget, among other tasks.

Powers has been replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Eric Gowen. His deputy director is Major Matthew T. Patterson – a 2013 graduate of JMU.