The Cornell College Board of Trustees has elected one new member—Mahmoud “Moodi” Elawady '26—and reelected Scott Simmer ’73. Both terms are three years.
Mahmoud “Moodi” Elawady
Elawady was chosen as Cornell’s 2026 Young Trustee. Elawady, who is from Deyarb Negm, Egypt, graduated summa cum laude from Cornell with dual B.A. degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology and computer science. At Cornell, he co-founded the International Student Association, worked as a resident assistant, coordinated and led the International Student Orientation, served on the strategic planning committee, and worked as a chemistry tutor. He was also a quantitative reasoning and writing peer consultant across multiple academic support centers. Elawady was selected as Cornell’s 2026 Baccalaureate senior speaker and received numerous academic and leadership honors, including election to Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and recognition as a McElroy Trust Fellow. After Cornell, Elawady is pursuing his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Iowa, building on his research experience at Mayo Clinic to study neurodegenerative diseases.
Scott Simmer
Simmer is managing shareholder at the Washington, D.C. law office of Baron & Budd, P.C. Simmer graduated from Cornell College in 1973 with majors in English and political science. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing and English from the University of Arkansas and a J.D. degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. Before relocating his law practice to Washington, D.C. in 1998, Simmer practiced in Des Moines, Iowa, including as in-house counsel and chief litigation counsel for the Principal Financial Group. Simmer previously served as a Cornell Trustee from 2016 to 2025. He comes from a proud Cornell family. Simmer’s parents (Bill Simmer ’44, Blanche Gabrielson Simmer ’44), sister (Judith Simmer-Brown ’68), and brother (Stephen Simmer ’69) are all Cornell alumni. He and his wife, Peggy Schoen, reside in Delaware.
The Cornell College Board of Trustees is the governing body of the college. The Board formulates policies governing the operation of the college that are necessary to carry out its mission—its educational programs, its financial affairs, the physical campus, and the quality of student life.