Christal Peterson serves Baylor Athletics as the Assistant AD for Character Formation, returning to Waco in August of 2023. She
In her role, Peterson is charged with providing administrative leadership and oversight to a four-person team focused on developing and enhancing Character Formation programming within the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence (SACE).
In May of 2022, Christal Peterson was hired on as the Director of Student-Athlete Development in the Dominic and Ellen Ng Houston Athletics Academic Center for Excellence. In this vital role, she equipped student-athletes to lead successful lives through holistic programming in the areas of personal, leadership and career development as well as community engagement. Additionally, she served as the co-advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), organized graduation receptions, spearhead the execution of the department’s premier events, Cougar’s Choice Awards and Senior Breakfast, and assisted with the recruiting of prospective student athletes.
Peterson joined Houston after spending three years as the Associate Director of Character Formation at Baylor University. During her time at Baylor, Peterson planned, managed and executed all career development, personal skills, leadership development, social responsibility programming content and spearheaded community engagement efforts for the student-athlete and athletic staff population. Peterson was instrumental in revamping the Assistants Development Program, organizing the 2017 Women Leaders National Convention programming and supporting the Women of Color Initiative.
Prior joining Baylor, Peterson served as the Coordinator for Student-Athlete Success, Inclusion, and Leadership at Wheaton College in Norton, MA. In this role, she developed and implemented a four-year comprehensive leadership program around the four key components of the Lyons "AllWheAre" campaign: Character, Performance, Involvement, and Self-Care. Through the "AllWheAre" campaign, Peterson created, planned and implemented diversity and inclusion, leadership and academic success programs for student-athletes. This will further develop character, personal and leadership development while preparing Wheaton student-athletes in their development to become global citizens.
Peterson got her start as graduate assistant for the Student-Athlete Welfare and Development at the University of Central Florida. At UCF, Peterson helped execute various initiatives and events design to empower and develop UCF student-athletes outside their respective fields. Peterson played a part in the Summer Knight Program that helped freshmen and transfer student-athletes transition to college. She also assisted student-athletes with career opportunities by partnering with several campus departments.
Peterson, who was a four-year member of the Knights track & field program, received her Bachelor’s of Science in Health Science at UCF before completing her Masters of Sports Business Administration and Business Administration in DeVos Sports Business Program.
Peterson has served as a facilitator at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum and Career in Sports Forum, is a recipient of the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women's Grant and served as the co-chair for the N4A Community Service Committee and co-leads circle calls for Women’s Leaders in College.
Peterson's hometown is Hampton, Va., but was born in Houston, Texas.
