The annual alumni, staff and faculty awards of Cornerstone University and Cornerstone Theological Seminary recognize outstanding members of our community who have achieved success in their personal and professional lives and who have distinguished themselves through service to the university.

Staff Hall of Honor Criteria

  1. A minimum of 10 years of service.
  2. Significant achievement in specific area of service to the university.
  3. Faithful support of CU.
  4. Impact in students’ lives.
  5. Active involvement in campus activities.
  6. Demonstrated leadership involving positive change at CU.
  7. Involvement in the community.

This year’s Cornerstone University Staff Hall of Honor Award winner is Joanna Taylor (B.A. ’02).

Joanna, who most would know as “Jo,” is the food service coordinator and has been a part of the department off and on since she was a student in 2000. She’s worked her way up from “salad bar engineer #2” to her current role, where she hires, trains, and supervises student workers as well as orders and preps all the food and supplies that go along with feeding over 2,000 people.

Jo’s relationship with Cornerstone is multi-faceted, beginning as a student in the late ’90s when she met her husband of almost 22 years. She graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and was employed as a teacher at a small Christian school but found herself returning to Cornerstone’s food service department during the summer to help with camps. In 2003, she joined the team full-time and has remained a consistent pillar of encouragement and support ever since.

Jo had the difficult task of leading the food service department through the COVID-19 pandemic, which required thoughtful pivoting in cleaning and serving procedures. Still, she managed to stay positive and strived to show Jesus to those around her, despite challenging circumstances. She says the best part of her job is having the chance to rub shoulders with incredible students and awesome co-workers. She finds it energizing to get to know them, serve them and watch them grow and enjoys creating a family-like atmosphere in her workspace. Whether through a smile, a conversation, a prayer for a need or a laugh about the food, she makes it her focus to help students understand they matter, are being prayed for and are valued.

Congratulations, Jo Taylor!