***This Episode***
In this episode of Civically Grown, Dr. Shaniece Criss sits down with China Terrell, commercial real estate developer, attorney, and founder of Peace.Legal, for a reflective and energizing conversation about leadership, faith, and the power of making your “next move.”
China learned early how to organize people, write proposals, and create events that brought others together at her church. As president of her youth group, she discovered a love for producing experiences, building teams, and stepping forward with ideas even before she fully understood where they might lead. Those early habits of initiative and creativity later became the foundation of her professional leadership style.
China recounts her work revitalizing communities through commercial real estate and describes a standout example of “scrappy” leadership that involved partnering with local police. By transforming an unused room into a welcoming comfort space for officers, she helped increase police presence, strengthen neighborhood safety, and build trust between the development and the community without the high cost of traditional security measures.
China also explores the ongoing nature of leadership with mistakes as part of the process, the importance of setting clear personal values, and the necessity of honest self-reflection and self-correction. For her, leadership is not an arrival point but a continuous journey of learning, adapting, and refining.
She closes with a vivid metaphor for her leadership style: a seed, small, full of life, and packed with possibility. Just as a seed grows, produces more seeds, and begins again, she believes leaders always carry the capacity to renew themselves and create new impact at any stage of life.
This episode is a reminder that leadership is about courage, reflection, and the willingness to keep planting new seeds, trusting that each next move can open the door to something better.
In this episode, you will hear about:
- How early church leadership experiences built lifelong confidence and initiative
- The motivating power of the phrase “you’re only as good as your last move”
- Why faith and hope can be anchors in uncertain moments
- Creative, low-cost innovation that strengthened relationships with police and improved community safety
- The importance of values, reflection, and self-correction in leadership
- A powerful metaphor of leadership as a seed full of endless potential
***Guest Bio***
China Terrell is a commercial real estate developer and attorney.
In 2025, Ms. Terrell, founded Peace.Legal, a law firm and economic development consultancy that champions businesses as a powerful force for building thriving communities.
Before opening her firm, Ms. Terrell served as CEO of American Communities Trust, a nonprofit focused on community revitalization through commercial real estate development. As CEO, Ms. Terrell assembled more than $24 Million in complex tax credit financing, loans, federal, state, and local funding and philanthropic dollars for economic development projects in East Baltimore.
Ms. Terrell is a recognized innovator in sustainable and equitable approaches to economic development. She was recognized in 2020 as one of The Baltimore Sun’s “Women to Watch” and since then has received awards from the Maryland and Baltimore Chapters of the American Institute of Architects for excellence in urban design.
Ms. Terrell graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School magna cum laude with her Juris Doctor. She also has a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Ms. Boak Terrell is a member of the bars of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
**Show Host**
Dr. Shaniece Criss
#CivicallyGrown #LeadershipDevelopment #PolicePartnerships #CommunityDevelopment #FaithAndLeadership
