Christian Payne was born in Richmond and attended the University of Mary Washington, where he majored in historic preservation. “Richmond is beautiful, and the people here are incredible,” he shared. As a finance tech in the Department of Psychology, he manages everything from travel logistics to departmental finances, enjoying the variety and challenges of each day.
Since joining VCU in 2014, Christian has fallen in love with working with enthusiastic students. “It’s rewarding to be part of their learning journey,” he said. Outside of work, he’s immersed in language learning and enjoys exploring Richmond’s parks and vibrant food scene.
Read on to learn more about Christian Payne.
What does your average workday look like?
As a finance tech, I can do anything from helping people with travel and procurement to analyzing the finances of the department and figuring out where we are. Each day can look different depending on what everyone in the department is working on at the time. There are certain parts of the spring semester where it’s very heavy travel so during those periods my time is dedicated to travel and the supplies people will need. At other times, I have time to dig into the finances of the department. It’s one of those things where you think you have it solved and then one thing will turn up and you’ll realize everything is a little off and need to fix it. I think of it like a puzzle; it keeps it fun.
How long have you worked at VCU and what brought you here?
I went to the University of Mary Washington from 2004-09 and majored in historic preservation. After, I worked at a few private companies for a while and then came to VCU in 2014. I originally started at the Center of Psychological Services and Development. The clinic is where our Ph.D. students are able to practice and perform services for actual clients. I really loved that it was my first position at the university because it was really gratifying. It was a part-time position where I was excited to show up every day because you get to see people leaving their sessions in a better place than when they arrived. Being part of that is a really cool experience.
What is something special about your job that you wouldn’t be able to do anywhere else?
We have incredible students, especially our grads and Ph.D.s who are actively pursuing research and seeing clients. You could find that somewhere else but it’s different at a school where it’s not just people performing these tasks but they’re learning them at the same time. Being able to touch base with our students and see what they’re interested in and working on is really gratifying. Being around people who want to be here is really special after working in places where that wasn’t the case.
What are some of your favorite hobbies/passions?
I’m really into language learning and I’m currently trying to learn Spanish and Portuguese. I would love to know Lebanese Arabic so I’m working on the alphabet right now. I learn a couple at a time so if I get bored I just switch. It’s just what I ended up spending most of my free time on the last few years.
What are some things that you find special about Richmond?
I love Richmond; I was born here. I moved away for most of grade school and came back after college. It’s a beautiful city. I love the people here. In terms of things around town I like to do, I love our parks. There’s enough of them that one is always accessible no matter what part of town you're in.