Alumni Award Recipient

Award: 2007 Distinguished Service Award

Occupation: Retired

Achievements: The first alumnus to chair the Berry College Board of Trustees, Mr. Cornell has served the business and economic development interests of Georgia for more than 40 years. He is a former senior vice president at Bank of America who, upon retirement, was appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue to serve as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (now retired). Mr. Cornell was the 2006 recipient of both the Gov. George Busbee Award from the state of Georgia and the Ambassador Mike Mansfield Award from the Japan/America Society of Georgia honoring his role in strengthening the relationship between the state of Georgia and the Japanese business community. Mr. Cornell’s service to the community extends far beyond his professional activities. Past leadership positions include chairman of the Economic Developers Roundtable, president of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, chairman of the board of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and vice-chair of Communities in Schools of Georgia, which works with at-risk children. He is also past president of the Atlanta Athletic Club and the Georgia State Golf Association and a member of the Executive Committee of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. A 1962 graduate of Berry, Mr. Cornell holds professional degrees from the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and the Emory University Advanced Management Program. Mr. Cornell resides in Dacula, Ga.