2026 Sullivan Award winners exemplify leadership, service and lasting impact

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 4, 2026) — Two University of Kentucky students and a faculty emeritus have received UK’s highest honor for humanitarian efforts — the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. 

Established by the New York Southern Society in 1925 and named for its first president, Algernon Sydney Sullivan, the award recognizes those “who exhibit Sullivan’s ideals of heart, mind and conduct as evince a spirit of love for and helpfulness to other men and women.” After the society closed, the award has lived on through the Sullivan Foundation and is given at several universities in the South. 

At UK, the Sullivan Award is bestowed each year on two graduating seniors and one citizen who has a connection to the university. This year’s Sullivan award student winners are Morgan David and Ben Ison. Sam Powdrill is the citizen award recipient. 

Morgan David 

Morgan David, of Louisville, Kentucky, graduated this May with a bachelor’s degree in integrated strategic communication from the UK College of Communication and Information. She excelled academically during her time at UK and was driven by her passion for serving others. 

That commitment has been central to her involvement across campus. As marketing chair for DanceBlue, UK’s student-run philanthropic organization supporting pediatric cancer patients and families, David helped lead outreach efforts across the state, encouraging schools to host minimarathons and raise awareness. For her, the work was never about recognition, but about consistency, connection and impact. 

“In college my passion for serving others has manifested in little actions that honestly aren’t much but hopefully add up to make an impact,” David said. “I believe that if I make one person’s day easier it is successful by many measures.” 

Beyond DanceBlue, David expanded her impact through leadership roles that strengthened relationships across the UK community. She served as president of both the UK Alumni Ambassadors and the Student Alumni Association, and previously as vice president for philanthropy, organizing events and service opportunities with local charities. Through these roles, she worked to foster a culture of engagement and service among her peers. 

Her leadership style has left a lasting impression on those around her. In a nomination letter for the Sullivan Award, Samantha Seitz, alumni engagement coordinator with UK Alumni Association, described David as “a servant leader through and through, always leading with kindness and empathy,” noting that she consistently supports her peers and leads by example. 

David’s commitment to service was shaped long before she arrived on campus. Raised in a family that prioritized giving back, she developed an early understanding that service is both a responsibility and a privilege. She carries that perspective with her today, guided by a personal motto that continues to define her actions and outlook: keep choosing joy. 

“To me this motto perfectly encompasses service to others and the person I strive to be in life,” David wrote in her reflection statement, emphasizing that service is rooted not in recognition, but in a daily choice to show up for others with intention and care. 

David also gained valuable professional experience during her time at UK through internships with Heaven Hill Brands, where she developed skills in public relations, human resources and corporate communications. She complemented those experiences with leadership roles in Kappa Kappa Gamma, serving as vice president of standards, philanthropy chair, preference chair and academic accountability. 

Reflecting on her time at UK, David credits her involvement and experiences with reinforcing a simple but powerful philosophy: showing up matters.  

“I live by the philosophy to keep showing up for others and to do my best to help other people,” she said. 

Ben Ison 

Ben Ison, of Mount Sterling, Kentucky, earned dual bachelor’s degrees in social work and criminal justice in May, along with a minor in criminology. 

Throughout his time at UK, Ison has distinguished himself through exceptional academic achievement and a deep commitment to service. A 4.0 student and consistent Dean’s List honoree, he has paired his classroom success with meaningful research, leadership and hands-on experiences that reflect his passion for justice and advocacy. 

Ison has been actively involved in undergraduate research through the College of Social Work, where he serves as a research assistant focusing on juvenile justice. In this role, he has conducted literature reviews, supported data collection and analysis, and contributed to research examining systems that impact youth and communities. His academic interests extend into practice — as demonstrated by his service on the University Appeals Board, where he helped review academic and disciplinary cases and contributed to fair, policy-aligned decisions. 

Committed to applying his knowledge in real-world settings, Ison completed a social work internship with the Exit Crisis Unit at Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church. There, he provided crisis intervention services, helped connect individuals to critical resources and coordinated community outreach efforts — including a clothing drive paired with Narcan training to support harm reduction. 

On campus, Ison is a dedicated leader and advocate for student well-being. As a student ambassador for the College of Social Work, he supports prospective and current students through outreach events, information sessions and community-building initiatives. He has also held leadership roles within Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, serving as internal vice president and previously as mental health chairman, where he worked to promote awareness and access to mental health resources, including implementing suicide prevention programming. 

Ison’s commitment to service extends beyond leadership roles. He regularly volunteers in the community, including participating in weekly meal programs, and has earned certifications in areas such as QPR suicide prevention and responsible conduct of research. 

“Through his academic excellence, leadership and compassion for others, Ison exemplifies the spirit of a servant leader — using his education and experiences to create meaningful change in the lives of those around him,” Shelita Jackson, D.S.W., director of undergraduate studies in the College of Social Work, said. He has integrity, conviction, is reliable and has a heart for justice.” 

Reflecting on his philosophy of service, Ison said, “Across all of my experiences at UK, I’ve learned that service is ultimately about responsibility — using what you’ve been given to support others in ways that are thoughtful, consistent and grounded in respect. It is less about recognition and more about being present, being willing to learn and being committed to contributing to something larger than yourself.” 

Ison plans to continue his work at the intersection of social work and criminal justice, with a focus on advancing equitable systems and supporting vulnerable populations. 

Sam Powdrill 

Sam Powdrill is a cataract surgeon and faculty emeritus in the UK College of Health Sciences. His work focuses on improving access to global eye care while advancing medical education and mentorship for underserved communities. 

Powdrill’s commitment to service was shaped early by his childhood in India, where he grew up among communities facing severe poverty, limited access to healthcare and preventable disease. Exposed to these realities at a young age, he pursued education and training that allowed him to directly improve quality of life for others, beginning with nursing and later specializing in community eye health and ophthalmic care. Reflecting on those early experiences, Powdrill recalls becoming aware of “the desperate needs and plights of many people in our world,” a realization that would guide his life’s work. 

Over the course of his career, Powdrill has worked across North America, Central America, South America, Africa and South Asia, providing sight-restoring care and advancing eye health initiatives worldwide. He was instrumental in establishing and expanding the eye unit at Tenwek Hospital in southwestern Kenya, helping build a program that now serves as a major regional referral center while training future eye care providers to sustain the work long term. 

Through cataract surgery, mobile outreach and prevention efforts, Powdrill has helped restore vision to thousands of patients while also equipping local health workers, nurses and ophthalmology residents with the skills needed to continue care in their own communities. His impact reflects a lifelong commitment not only to treating patients, but to increasing access and building capacity where it is needed most. 

In 2004, Powdrill joined the University of Kentucky as a faculty member in the physician assistant studies program, where he taught and mentored students for more than 15 years. He played a key role in curriculum development, clinical skills training and standardized patient education. He also led international service-learning experiences that allowed students to deliver care in resource-limited settings. 

His leadership and compassion have left a lasting impression on colleagues and students alike. In a nomination letter, Virginia L. Valentin, Dr.P.H., the Daus Family Endowed Professor of Physician Assistant Studies and chair of PA studies in the UK College of Health Sciences, wrote that Powdrill “has spent his life serving, teaching and providing free medical care … touching countless lives through his work,” adding that “his genuine heart always sees the best in others and always seeks to do good.”  

“I found fulfillment in opportunities to teach and mentor students at UK,” Powdrill said. “My passion for underserved people groups continued as I took students abroad and mentored them in both family and ophthalmic medicine.”  

Even after retiring in 2020, Powdrill has continued to teach periodically and volunteer internationally, providing cataract surgery, training and equipment support in dozens of countries. His work remains rooted in a simple but powerful purpose — to restore both vision and hope for those he serves. 

“The thrill of observing a patient’s joy at seeing loved ones again, and the ripple effect of a family freed from the burden of blindness, never gets old,” Powdrill said.