"Purpose Can't Wait," Says Wilmington College's First Inaugurated Female President

Corey Cockerill, Wilmington College President

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Wilmington College (WC) inaugurated their first female president, Corey Cockerill.

Corey grew up in rural Knox County Ohio. She received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and then began working as a journalist. After writing a story about the accidental death of a child, Corey decided that she “didn’t have the skin for journalism” and went back to OSU to earn her Masters and Doctorate. During this time, Corey also drove to WC to see her now-husband, Tate. 

Her first job after receiving her doctorate was at the Ohio Department of Wildlife. However, once she began having children, the commute led her to seek a job locally, which landed her at WC. She even brought her young son, now a WC student, to the interview on her hip.

Throughout her time at WC, Corey served as a professor, Chair of the Agriculture program, and Assistant Dean for the College of Sciences. In 2023, the Board offered her the position of interim-president. She stated, “I’ll love WC from any angle no matter what,” and accepted. 

Corey leads with Quaker values, including “consensus based decision making”. She stated, “The outcomes are incredibly powerful. You get full buy in from the room because everybody has contributed to the solution.” WC values everyone having a voice, including students.

Corey shared that WC believes in finding a student’s purpose, not just their career. She stated, “Often we try to push students toward a career path, I think that’s a mistake unless they know very specifically.” Corey believes students come in with a skill set and that it’s WC job to help them find their “superpower.”

During inauguration, Corey announced WC’s upcoming campaign, ‘Purpose Can’t Wait,’ which will highlight WC’s bright future, including their accreditation, balanced budget, prison program, new Masters in Agriculture program, and new AG building coming in 2028. 

To learn more about WC’s new campaign, visit purposecantwait.com.