2012 Helen Bull Vandervort Award Recipient
Eleanor Dillon Petigrow '87

Eleanor is deeply involved in the community. She has volunteered for Cornell Cares Day, assisting a community food bank, and New York Cares Day, helping to refurbish a local community center by painting murals. She also helps raise funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer, organ donation and multiple sclerosis, including cycling and walking each year in events sponsored by patient advocacy and research organizations.

Eleanor leads strategic and creative planning and business development for Chandler Chicco Companies, named “Healthcare Agency of the Decade” in 2010 by the Holmes Report, an industry benchmarking organization. Eleanor has played an instrumental role in creating and branding many award-winning health awareness campaigns on behalf of pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods clients. She is a mentor to many employees, providing guidance and training on persuasive speaking skills, work-life balance and creative ideation. Prior to joining Chandler Chicco, Eleanor spent more than 10 years in the healthcare practice at Burson-Marsteller. Eleanor sits on a number of judging panels for industry organizations, including PR Week Awards, PRSA Silver Anvil Awards, and the Clio Healthcare Awards, for which she chairs the Public Relations jury.

Eleanor earned bachelor’s degree in nutritional science from Human Ecology, during which time she completed communications internships through Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell Abroad, leading her on a path to a career in health communications. Since 2010, she has served on the College of Human Ecology Dean’s Advisory Council, which she will chair beginning in fall 2012. She has served as a Cornell alumni career mentor since 1998, providing many Cornell students each year with career guidance, coaching, and on-site job shadowing opportunities.