Outstanding Achievement in a Chosen Profession
The Outstanding Achievement in a Chosen Profession award is presented annually to a member of the alumni community whose professional accomplishments and achievements are exceptionally noteworthy and distinctive in his or her profession.
2026 Recipient
Christine Peterjohn Richards '76
Christine Peterjohn Richards '76 is the retired executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of FedEx Corporation. Her responsibilities included compliance with international, federal, state and local government regulations, and all international and domestic legal, security and government affairs.
After graduation from Bucknell, she attended Duke University Law School and graduated in 1979. She served as a clerk for the U.S. Magistrate for the Middle District of North Carolina and practiced law in Greensboro before relocating to Tennessee to join the legal department of Federal Express Corporation in 1984. She provided legal work and strategies that led to the growth and success of FedEx and its expansion around the world.
At Bucknell, Richards was able to explore alternative viewpoints, developing critical thinking and analysis skills that enabled her ultimate professional success. She furthered her skills in working with people and improved her abilities to work hard and overcome obstacles to success.
In 2000, Richards and her husband Dan '78 created the Richards Family Scholarship endowment, which currently provides seven scholarships. In 2009, they created the Russell Endowment in honor of former swimming and water polo coach Dick Russell. The endowment provides additional resources for Bucknell's men's and women's varsity water polo programs. Most recently, they provided funding for improvements to the Kinney Natatorium aquatics center. Together they are supporters of the Open Discourse Coalition in Lewisburg and work to challenge Bucknell to provide exposure for students to a wide spectrum of thought and perspectives.
In Tennessee, Richards has been involved in efforts to improve public education. She has served on the Tennessee State Public Charter School Commission since its formation and was elected chairman in 2023. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the West Tennessee Megasite, which oversees development of the Ford Blue Oval City auto manufacturing location, and on the Shelby County, Tennessee Retirement Board and Investment Committee.