Kathleen Driskell, a professor of creative writing at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, was selected to receive the Judy Gaines Young Book Award. The award is given annually by Transylvania University to the author of a recent book of distinction from the Appalachian region.
Dr. Rooney has served as senior adviser to the Secretary of Defense. Earlier in her career, Dr. Rooney was president of Spaulding University in Louisville, Kentucky, and Mount Ida College in Newton, Massachusetts.