Cornwell Honored with Thaddeus Seymour Staff Award for Community Engagement

Peg Cornwell, associate to the president for college and community relations, is the recipient of the 2025 Thaddeus Seymour Staff Award for Community Engagement.

Cornwell’s nominators share, “She is a beacon of community engagement and social change both on and off the Rollins College campus. Her dedication to fostering a sense of community and her tireless efforts to support various nonprofits in Central Florida have made a profound impact.”

Since arriving at Rollins, Cornwell has become deeply engaged with both the campus and local communities. She serves on the boards of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, the Victory Cup Initiative, Florida Executive Women, Winter Park Day Nursery, and more recently Central Florida Public Media.

One nominator mentioned, ”Peg is committed not only to talking about change, but modeling it—she is out there putting in the work as a committed member of our community and has done so since day one.”

Cornwell’s influence extends to every corner of our community. She is described as a leader who fights for what is right and consistently asks the hard questions to drive necessary change. Her passion aligns with giving a voice to those who may often not have one, and she has made a lasting impact on our community.

Thaddeus Seymour joined Rollins in 1978 as its 12th president. During his 12-year tenure, he transformed the College through his commitment to academic excellence, fundraising, and relationships with the local community. The Thaddeus Seymour Staff Award for Community Engagement was established in 2006 as a means of recognizing Rollins staff members for sustainable and demonstrated service in local and global communities. In the spirit of Rollins’ mission of educating global citizens and responsible leaders, this award is granted annually to the staff member who has transformed our community through community engagement.

A donation of $500 will be made in honor of Peg Cornwell toward the community organization of her choice to further encourage her efforts in citizenship and leadership.