Ms. Perry is a graduate of Loyola University/Chicago (B.A.) and the University of Chicago (M.A.), the State Department’s Senior Seminar and the National Defense University’s CAPSTONE program. She has served on national security and international affairs delegations in Asia, Africa and Europe. Ambassador Perry was Diplomat-in-Residence at Howard University where she promoted Secretary Powell’s Diplomatic Readiness Initiative. She was selected for the State Department’s 2002 Diplomat-in-Residence of the Year Award.
Ambassador Perry served as Deputy Chargé of Mission (DCM) in the Central African Republic and Madagascar. Previously, as Political Affairs Officer in the office of South African Affairs (AF/S) responsible for Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, she initiated bursaries funding for South African students and established the first Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and SADC. Other State Department assignments include Senior Advisor in the Africa Bureau, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary, Chief of Internal Political Affairs and Narcotics Coordinator at Embassy Paris and Deputy Director/Director, Office of Policy and Plans, Political Military Affairs Bureau. She also served in Zambia and Zimbabwe and received Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards as well as Senior Performance Pay.
Before her diplomatic career, Ms. Perry was Director of Public Affairs at the national volunteer agency, ACTION, including Peace Corps; Special Assistant at the Community Services Administration; and Director of Public Affairs at WGMS/RKO Radio Corporation. A former instructor at the University of Maryland and North Carolina A&T State University, she was Vice President of The Women’s Institute and the Thursday Luncheon Group.
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