Caitlin Powderly joined the Brown women's lacrosse staff in August 2008 after serving as the head coach at Clarkson University for the 2007 season. While with the Golden Knights, Powderly was responsible for all aspects of the women's lacrosse program, while also serving as an advisor to Clarkson's Student Athlete Advisory Committee and providing game management during fall events. Prior to coaching at Clarkson, Powderly was an assistant coach at Hamilton College, helping to lead the Continentals to the 2007 Liberty League Championship, while posting the most wins in programs history with a 16-3 record. As part of the coaching staff at Hamilton, which advanced to the 2007 NCAA Quarterfinals, Powderly was named IWLCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.

A 2004 graduate of the University of New England with a B.A. in Psychology, Powderly was a four-year member of the women's lacrosse team, serving as a captain her senior year. All All-Conference goalie for the University of New England, Powderly got her start in coaching in the fall of 2003 when she served as a field hockey coach for the Middle School of the Kennebunks in Kennebunk, Maine. She then spent a year in the United Kingdom, where she was a Lacrosse School Coaching Officer at Marlborough College. Upon her return to the U.S., Powderly spent one season under Julie Redman at her alma mater, before moving to Hamilton.