Rev. Irene Pierce was born on August 28, 1926, in Pickens, South Carolina. Rev. Pierce’s father was killed shortly after she was born, and she and her two older siblings were raised by her mother, grandparents, and extended family. At age eight, Rev. Pierce came to Washington to live with her aunt and uncle. After graduating from Cardozo High School in 1943, she began a forty-year career with the Federal Government. During her time in the government, Rev. Pierce worked for the Department of Treasury, the National Production Authority, and the Department of Commerce. Rev. Pierce grew up attending both a Baptist and a Methodist church and comes from a long line of Methodist ministers. She began attending Asbury Methodist Church in 1945 and, after retiring from the government, went into the ministry and became a pastor in 1993. After pastoring her own church, she returned to Asbury as an Assistant Pastor. Rev. Pierce has a daughter, two granddaughters, and one great-granddaughter.