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“That’s the magic of the W&L network. It’s why we’ve been drawn to give continuously to W&L – just a genuine gratitude to W&L as the place we met and for our experiences we had in Lexington.” – Elizabeth Bucklee Peacher ’13
Gratitude and giving back are a key focus for Nick Peacher ’15 and Elizabeth Bucklee Peacher ’13. The couple, who recently returned to Washington and Lee University for Nick’s 10th class reunion (for which he served as class reunion co-chair), believe strongly in the importance of supporting the place that holds so much meaning for them. Their inclination to give back is not surprising, considering they first met as student leaders for the Volunteer Venture Leading Edge trip at W&L.
Elizabeth, a Princeton, New Jersey, native, first found W&L through women’s lacrosse. She knew she wanted athletics to be part of her collegiate experience and was looking for a school where she could be a student first and an athlete second. She knew from the first moment she stepped on campus for a visit what a special place she had uncovered, as students exemplified the Speaking Tradition and greeted her as she strolled the Colonnade with her father. A return trip to do an overnight visit with the women’s lacrosse team reinforced her first impression.
Elizabeth credits her time at W&L — from the academics as a history major to her role as a student-athlete, involvement in organizations such as Kappa Alpha Theta and experiences like studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, and participating in Mock Con — with versatility that prepared her for the future.
“Being a liberal arts school, you walk away from your four years with such a well-rounded education in addition to everything else that makes W&L so special,” she says.
Nick’s father graduated from the University of Virginia, and the Boston-based family made trips throughout Nick’s childhood to his dad’s alma mater. It was through those visits that Nick first learned of W&L. He, too, fell in love with the university after his first visit. (And to note: Nick’s parents, Steve and Anne Peacher, served as vice chairs — then chairs — of the Parents Leadership Council while he was a student at W&L.)
A politics major and poverty and human capability studies minor, Nick was also involved in the Shepherd Program and counts the late program founder Harlan Beckley, Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion Emeritus, and the late Tyler Dickovick, Grigsby Term Professor of Politics, among his mentors. The summer after his sophomore year, Nick completed a Shepherd internship in Baltimore, working at a summer program for students in fourth through 12th grades. He also completed the six-week Washington Term program during his time at W&L. Although he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do career-wise, doing something service related was the goal.
Nick’s brother, Tommy Peacher, was attending the United States Naval Academy when Nick was a student at W&L, and “seeing him serve was inspirational.” Nick applied for Army Officer Candidate School during his senior year, and after graduation, he was commissioned as an infantry officer, first stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. Afterward, he was stationed at Fort Stewart in Savannah, Georgia, with an infantry platoon unit, for which he served as platoon leader and company executive officer. Throughout his training, he completed a variety of military courses, including Airborne and Ranger School. His unit was deployed to Korea for nine months, which “was a challenging but rewarding experience,” he says.
“The same core values in the military certainly align with W&L’s Honor System,” he says. “Beyond the military, I think it applies to all facets of your life, whether that’s business or personal. There’s no better way to instill it than being at W&L, where you have to live it every day.”
After four years in the Army, he entered the commercial real estate world and joined Stream Realty Partners in Atlanta after making connections through a W&L alumnus. In his role as managing director on the Atlanta industrial team, Nick helps to lead the strategic direction of the industrial brokerage business, overseeing operations, spearheading business development and executing on industrial deals. During his time at Stream, Nick has successfully completed more than $500 million worth of lease and sale transactions.
“We’re grateful that the Army originally brought us to Georgia,” he says. “It’s been a phenomenal experience working in the industrial real estate world in Atlanta and, more broadly, for our family to get connected to the deep W&L alumni network in the city.”
After W&L, Elizabeth built a successful career in finance, working 11 years at BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investment management firms. As a regional director for retail distribution, she connected financial advisors across the Southeast with the company’s products (she recently made the decision to step back from her career to stay home with their two children, Charlie and Lacey). She, too, was first introduced to BlackRock through an alum, but the W&L connections don’t stop there: The real estate agent who sold them their house and the doctor who delivered their second child were also W&L alumni.
“That’s the magic of the W&L network,” Elizabeth says. “It’s why we’ve been drawn to give continuously to W&L – just a genuine gratitude to W&L as the place we met and for our experiences we had in Lexington.”
Giving back with time is also important to the couple, with Nick volunteering as a class agent for three years and currently serving as vice president of the Atlanta alumni chapter. And he and Elizabeth enjoyed visiting campus this fall for Young Alumni Weekend to celebrate with their friends and Nick’s classmates. During the reunion, Nick and his fellow reunion co-chairs presented President Will Dudley with their class gift of $258,772. The gift, representing donations from 29% of the class, will support the W&L Fund over the next five years and provide financial support for five first-year W&L students through the Class of 2015 10th Reunion W&L Scholarship.
“W&L obviously was a fantastic education and an amazing place to go to school, but I think it’s impacted our lives in so many other ways than I think a traditional college does,” Nick says. “It’s impacted our lives for the positive, maybe more so than any organization or institution — I don’t know if there’s a close second. We want to give back because we hope other students can experience that same positive impact on their lives.”
Elizabeth is a member of the W&L Fund Council, and she attended a Lettie Pate Evans Society luncheon in Atlanta last spring. W&L’s newest giving society is named in honor of its largest benefactor, Lettie Pate Evans, whose bequest to the university has resulted in more than $309 million in endowment funds. Evans’ giving touches everything from building renovations to the ability to attract and retain top faculty to making attending W&L possible for students and their families.
The giving society not only amplifies women’s giving power but also provides opportunities for alumnae to connect and build community, pushing each other to expand their philanthropic impact. Membership is available to any woman who commits $100,000 or more, payable over five years, during the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign as well as to any woman in her 20th reunion year or younger who commits $50,000 during the campaign. Elizabeth has been involved with other women’s giving circles in Atlanta and says she loves the spirit of these organizations and the focus on the collective power of women coming together for a shared passion. The luncheon inspired the couple to make a $50,000 commitment to the university in addition to their annual giving.
“Giving specifically to W&L at a young age — at any age — is truly a genuine act of gratitude for all the ways W&L has influenced our lives or given us opportunities and is recognizing that the common thread is the special place that is W&L,” Elizabeth says. “We want others to have the same opportunity that we had, and we feel giving is one way to do that. We saw our parents model giving for us, both financially and with their time. It’s important for us as a couple, and now as parents, to prioritize giving within our family.”