Christina D. Palmer

Director of Student Well-Being
Appointed
2017
Christina Palmer

Education

Ed.D. Boston College

M.A. Southern Connecticut State College

B.S. Springfield College

Biography

Christina Palmer is Exeter’s first director of student well-being, a position that focuses on best practices in student care and on the prevention of sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual violence through enhanced training and education. A graduate of Springfield College, Dr. Palmer holds a master’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University and completed her Ed.D. at Boston College.  In 2021 she received the Blair Brown ’58 & Borden Brown ’56 award which recognizes fellow colleagues for their dedication and excellent service to Phillips Exeter Academy.  

Prior to Exeter, Dr. Palmer worked for 21 years in Massachusetts public schools and served as a Title IX coordinator at both the high school and district level. A steadfast student advocate, Dr. Palmer brings to the Academy expertise in the key areas of social and emotional learning, restorative justice, cultural competency, gender identity, mental health (specifically including trauma, anxiety, depression, and PTSD) civil rights compliance and risk management. She is also a licensed marriage and family therapist in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and has worked clinically with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault (both individually and in groups).

A trainer on topics including maintaining proper boundaries, mandatory reporting laws, and sexual assault prevention, Dr. Palmer has presented Sexual Misconduct in our Schools as faculty of the Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry in the 2020 School Mental Health Treating Students K-12 Program. She is a member of SART (the Rockingham County Sexual Assault Response Team), attends regular trainings throughout the year on trauma, sexual assault, advocacy, domestic violence, and state/federal law) and has a history of working closely with and strengthening communication with local police and child protective services.