Young Alumna Hopes to Deliver Memorable Commencement Address

Christian Peele ’05 is familiar with reaching milestones at a young age. Barely past her 14th birthday when she entered the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG) in 2001, Peele became the youngest person to earn a master of divinity from Duke University Divinity School at age 20. Not long after, she embarked on the first of two positions on President Obama’s White House staff, and she is now preparing for a career shift to oversee development activities at one of New York City’s premier churches.

Christian_commence2015On May 17, Peele will tuck yet another “youngest” distinction under her belt, when she delivers Mary Baldwin University’s Commencement address at age 27, shortly after marking her 10th Reunion. She was humbled by the invitation from the Class of 2015 — members voted for Peele as the alumna that they would most like to hear speak about how her Mary Baldwin education influenced her professional life.

“I learned about Ms. Peele and her accomplishments when I was applying for an internship at the White House,” said Kathryn Laflin ’15, senior class vice president. “Then the Class of 2015 voted for her as the alumna that it would most like to hear speak about how her Mary Baldwin education influenced her professional life.”

“Being 10 years out from graduation gives me some perspective to see all the ways in which my Mary Baldwin education weaves through my life path,” said Peele. “In addition to the solid foundation in religious studies, Mary Baldwin is the place where I was introduced to critical thinking, pushing boundaries, conveying messages clearly, and the concept that one can better understand an idea by discovering how it is connected to other ideas.”

As soon as Mary Baldwin President Pamela Fox convinced Peele that she was the top choice of the graduating class, she began to think seriously about her message to graduating seniors. Peele is not taking her latest Mary Baldwin assignment lightly.  Although she hasn’t settled on a topic yet, she has been regularly jotting down stories that seem worth sharing and moments that taught her valuable lessons.

“More than anything, I want my words to be memorable. I realized that the speeches that stayed with me have a few things in common: they were relevant to me, taught me something I didn’t already know, were sprinkled with humor, and proposed a risky idea with conviction. That’s the model I’m trying to reach,” said Peele, who will join notable alumnae Commencement speakers such as advertising executive Louise Rossett McNamee ’70 and Federal Reserve Bank Chief Information Officer Margaret E. “Lyn” McDermid ’95.

A native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, Peele majored in religion and minored in art history at Mary Baldwin, and she participated in two outreach trips to Jamaica to lead Bible study, music, and art classes and work at a Christian summer camp. She earned undergraduate accolades including the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the Rita Dove Frontrunner Scholarship, and the Charlotte Forten Grimke Award, recognizing her scholarship, spiritual qualities, and service to the community.

In the decade since her graduation, Peele has creatively interwoven theology, leadership, and social welfare through a range of positions. She worked with families as a program coordinator at Harlem Children’s Zone after earning her master’s degree, pursuing a calling into ministry that she first began to consider when she entered Mary Baldwin. In 2009, Peele landed a coveted internship at the White House in the Office of Management and Administration, and she served as director of the White House Internship Program from May 2011 to June 2013, working to create a robust professional and academic experience for interns and increase the program’s diversity. For the next year and a half, she served as deputy director for operations at the White House, managing a team of people that ensured resources for technology, strategy, facilities, and buildings were used creatively and distributed responsibly.

While preparing for her Commencement appearance, Peele is also getting ready for her next professional role. March 16 will be her first day as director of stewardship and development for The Riverside Church in Manhattan. The 1,750-member progressive Christian church describes itself as “interdenominational, interracial, and international,” and Peele is eager to support its mission of outreach, education, social justice, and peacemaking.

“It’s energizing to me to be involved with an organization that is at the intersection of social justice and faith. I’m also excited to help Riverside’s first ever female pastor realize her vision and make her mark,” she said.

Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. May 17 on Page Terrace at Mary Baldwin University (10:30 a.m. at Expoland in Fishersville in the event of inclement weather). The ceremony will be streamed online at go.marybaldwin.edu/live.