MEDFORD, MA (June 26, 2023) - Stephen Peters, who for the past two years has worked as Director of Events, Facilities, and Student Engagement at Mary Baldwin University, will join the Tufts University Department of Athletics in August as the Jumbos' third Future Leader Graduate Fellow overall and second in Athletics Administration.
As part of this two-year program, Peters will pursue a Master's degree in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership within the Tufts Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. He will also work within the various units of the Department of Athletics - facilities, events and game operations; fundraising, development and alumni engagement; business operations and compliance; marketing, communications and social media; and student affairs, student recreation and club sports - as well as interact with athletics partners around campus.
"The opportunity to be the next Future Leader Fellow at Tufts University is something I take great pride in," Peters said. "Being able to make a difference at a distinguished university while earning a Master's degree in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Leadership has given me a feeling of great anticipation. I pride myself on being a lifelong learner. Being able to learn from all members of the Tufts Department of Athletics and educators from the DEIJ-L program will provide me with tools I can use to continue to work out my "why" in life. I am excited and looking forward to furthering the great work already being done at Tufts University and to making an impact on the Jumbo student-athletes."
Tufts alumni Lisa, J81 and Tom, A82, F18 Gorman, along with Janice Savin Williams, J79 stepped up enthusiastically and generously to fund this program. This fellowship represents a unique opportunity for a future leader to launch their career in intercollegiate athletics and further their education at a world class university. The goal of the program is to also increase opportunities for underrepresented populations to work in the field of intercollegiate athletics.
"Tom and I are so fortunate to have been part of the pilot program that has flourished over the past three years," Lisa Gorman said. "It has been deeply gratifying to see Marcel Diggs successfully complete the first Administrative Fellowship and Vanese Barnes make the positive contributions she has to the women's basketball program as the first Assistant Coaching Fellow. We are blessed to be able to help provide these opportunities for students and future leaders who are the caliber of Marcel, Vanese, and now Stephen Peters. It is our sincere hope that as Stephen progresses through his time at Tufts, he will depart having developed a solid foundation for success built through hands-on experiential learning, ready and able to become the best leader, mentor, role model, and administrator he can be for the young men and women he will guide and influence for many years to come."
Peters graduated magna cum laude from The City College of New York (CCNY) in 2020 with a degree in business administration and management. He was a four-year member of the Beavers' baseball team, earning two CUNYAC all-star awards and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors twice. An outfielder, he started 106 games during his CCNY career and posted a .388 batting average.
From Cortlandt Manor, New York, Peters was also the team's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative for three years. In 2020 as a senior Peters was an honorable mention selection for the CUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. Out of season he was a member of the CCNY Athletics Facilities and Operations Game Day staff.
Peters was a recipient of the NCAA Ethnic Minorities and Women Internship Grant which he employed at Mary Baldwin University. Part of the Fighting Squirrels' staff since July 2021, he worked to encourage student-athlete engagement on campus and in the community as a co-advisor of the department's SAAC. He also served as a liaison between the Student Engagement office and Athletics to increase collaboration between faculty, staff, and student-athletes, and was the department administrator for all game day operations as well.
In building his career, Peters has attended the NCAA's Emerging Leaders Seminar in February 2022, the NCAA Division III Next Steps Program/Career in Sports Forum in June 2019 and the NCAA Division III Student Immersion Program January 2019.
"We are thrilled to have Stephen join our Athletics Department and work alongside our administration, coaches and student-athletes for the next two years," said John Morris, Director of Athletics. "Stephen brings with him fantastic Division III experience, both as a former student-athlete and in his most recent role as an athletics administrator for events and facilities at Mary Baldwin. Beginning in August and over the next two years, we hope to both learn from Stephen, and also to provide him with broad-based experience and a variety of opportunities which will help to prepare him for his future career in athletics administration."
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