Winter Park Magazine Names Barnett and Mould 2026 Influentials
October 09, 2026
By Jo Marie Hebeler
Each year, Winter Park Magazine announces its list of “Winter Park’s Most Influential People.” The program, in its 11th year, recognizes those who make a difference through their professions, their volunteerism, their philanthropy, their talents, or their community engagement. Rollins President, Brooke Barnett, and her husband, Tom Mould, are in the Class of 2026
The duo has taken on pivotal roles in Winter Park following Barnett’s appointment as the 16th president of Rollins College, which shares a rich history with the surrounding community.
Barnett arrived at Rollins from Butler University in Indianapolis, where she served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, as well as dean of the College of Communication. Prior to Butler, she spent years at Elon University in North Carolina. A native of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, Barnett earned her bachelor’s degree in English and communications from Georgetown College before moving on to Indiana University-Bloomington. There, she earned a master’s degree in journalism and a doctoral degree in mass communication.
While managing the university-owned PBS affiliate WTIU in Bloomington, Barnett met Mould, then a graduate student. The pair collaborated on several documentaries covering local culture for the television series
Indiana Folklife
. They married in 1998 and later relocated to Elon, before eventually moving to Butler and then to Rollins.
Mould, who previously chaired the Department of History, Anthropology and Classics at Butler, specializes in folklore, ethnography, and storytelling traditions of the Latter-day Saints and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. At Rollins, he serves as a professor of anthropology, teaching undergraduate classes while engaging in local community projects.
Barnett’s approachable style was evident during her inaugural address at Warden Arena, where she delivered a speech blending humor, pop-culture references, and personal anecdotes. Reflecting on her upbringing, she joked, “My grandfather said I must have been vaccinated by a Victrola needle.”
After living in the president's residence on Lake Virginia for a year, the couple expressed enthusiasm for their new environment, enjoying hiking, theater, and local museums. "Our expectations were already high based on what we’d heard and seen," Barnett said. "I guess you could say that the only real surprise after a year here is that it’s even nicer than we thought it would be."