PEMBROKE — Chris Peterkin, a 2013 graduate, has been elected president of the UNC Pembroke Alumni Association board of birectors.

The board also recently appointed six new members: Brion Oxendine, Clarence Garrett, Cristi Rader, Kendall Oxendine, Lisa Ransome and Amy W. Hall. They will each serve a two-year term.

Joining Peterkin on the executive committee are Jackie Deese ’95, first vice president; Candace Langston, ’13, second vice president; and Emily Oxendine, ’13, secretary/treasurer.

A native of Troy Peterkin said he is humbled to be selected and is committed to strengthening the bond between the university and more than 27,000 alumni. His objectives and goals during his tenure of office will be three-pronged — passion, provision and purpose.

“Passion is having the love for the university,” he said. “Provision relates to giving back your time and resources and, lastly, remembering your purpose when you were a student and now as an alum.”

Peterkin, a loan compliance officer in Raleigh, would like to increase the association’s social media presence to keep alumni informed and engaged with the university.

“I have the title of president, but, for me, it’s all about team work and leaning on others for their strengths in certain areas,” he said. “We want to continue the good work that has already been set in place.”

Raised by a family of college graduates, Peterkin chose UNCP because it offered the diversity he was in search of. He studied broadcasting and was heavily involved on campus as a member of the marching band, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and Phi Mu Alpha, a student music organization.

“Before I applied to college I knew I wanted to do something to give back to the university once I graduated,” he said. “When I arrived on campus, [former vice chancellor] Jackie Clark was a big influence in welcoming me to Pembroke. My junior year, I will never forget a fellow PRSSA member Janna Blue pulling me to the side and saying, ‘you’re going to be president one day. That ignited my fuel. Then, later during Chancellor Carter’s retirement ceremony, he told me ‘you truly bleed black and gold. That resonated with me and deepened my passion for the university.”

The association’s newest board members, who will take office July 1, include:

— Brion Oxendine ’00, of Lumberton, who is a real estate broker and owner of Realty One Group Heritage;

— Clarence Garrett ’96, a Burlington resident and vice principal at N.L. Dillard Middle School in Yanceyville;

— Cristi Rader ’11, of Charlotte, who is a senior sales operations analyst for Honeywell;

— Kendall Oxendine ’03, of Lumberton, a national account executive with Stanley Black & Decker;

— Lisa Ransome ’88, of Rowland, a business intelligence developer at Southeastern Regional Medical Center; and

— Amy W. Hall ’09, of Fayetteville, who serves as Guardian ad Litem District Administrator 16-B in Robeson County.