Nearly seventeen years after his graduation from Blair, Timothy Peacock ’08 returns for a full-circle moment, speaking at a program he respected dearly while he was a student. On Tuesday, December 2, students who attend Skeptics will have the opportunity to hear from the former Buccaneer talk about his work within the intersection of cybersecurity and international relations at Google.

“I remember going to Skeptics during my time at Blair and enjoying the wealth of different perspectives that came to campus,” says Mr. Peacock in a pre-event interview. “It was eye opening to hear stories from people sometimes on the literal front lines; other times, at the cutting edge of research about parts of life I had no context on.”

After graduating from Blair, Mr. Peacock went on to study political science at Brown University, where he obtained his bachelor of arts degree. Post college, the alum did cybersecurity policy work at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., before pivoting to the tech world, where, for the past seven years, he has served as a senior product manager for Google.

“While my job at Google today is fairly technical, the global context of cybersecurity is inescapable. I’ll open my talk with a story of how 17th-century Chinese porcelain, 18th-century English cloth and 21st-century American F-22s all have something in common,” he shared, hoping to pique students’ interest. His talk will also include stories that highlight how the cycle of espionage and trade-secret theft has been going on for centuries. 

Though he plans to focus much of the conversation on his work and career, Mr. Peacock cannot wait to connect with his future fellow alums. After all, Blair was a special place that helped pique his own interest and passion for his future career. 

“Blair gave me the confidence to pursue academic curiosity. In college, I took courses in 18 different departments, mostly classes that I thought looked interesting. Blair gave me the confidence to walk into (almost) any department and sit down to learn. My career has been filled with the same curiosity and belief in myself to go learn.”

“For current students, I'd say not to treat college as a vocational school, but instead develop their skills in writing, critical thinking and communication. I'm not an expert in how AI is going to change the world, but I'm certain that going forward those soft skills are going to be more important than ever.”

All are welcome to hear Mr. Peacock speak in the forum of the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

History of Skeptics

The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.

The program, which is funded in part by the Class of 1968 Society of Skeptics Endowment Fund, is an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon. ’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller and his successor, history department chair Jason Beck, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are thought-provoking, engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please visit Blair’s website.