Winners of the 2019 CEHD Distinguished Alumni Awards were recently announced. The award honors CEHD alumni who have excelled in their fields and contributed greatly to their communities. Award recipients belong to a wide range of academic disciplines and career paths, but all are individuals who have made profound impacts in the lives of children, youth, families, schools, and organizations, and whose achievements bring honor to the college. The awards were presented November 21 at the McNamara Alumni Center.
The winners from the Department of Educational Psychology include:
Linda Cohen, MA in educational psychology, 1985; PhD educational psychology, 1986. Cohen earned her PhD as a mid-career change. She became a licensed psychologist, practicing for 20 years. In her previous roles, she taught at Blake School and became the director of the middle school. She also led a major partnership with Henry High School and TCF Bank. This spring, she completed a 12-year term on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, including a two year term as chair.
Penny George, MA in educational psychology, 1972. George co-founded Sellergren-George Consulting Psychologists, where she helped senior executives select for and build high-performing teams. Today she is board chair of the George Family Foundation and a leader in the national movement to transform medicine and healthcare through the principles and practices of integrative medicine. She also serves on the board of the foundation that supports the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing at Allina Health in Minneapolis.
Randall Peterson, BS in agricultural education, 1986; MA in educational psychology, 1990. Peterson is professor of organizational behavior and director of the Leadership Institute at the London Business School. He is an internationally known expert in leadership, team and board dynamics, and conflict management. With a non-traditional background as a social psychologist in a business school, he has conducted research on how chief executive officer personality can affect organizational outcomes; leadership of diverse teams; and board effectiveness.
