Carol Z. Perez

Carol Z. Perez
Acting Under Secretary of State for Management
In office January 20, 2021 – December 29, 2021
President	Joe Biden
Secretary	Antony Blinken
Preceded by	Brian Bulatao
Succeeded by	John R. Bass
31st Director General of the Foreign Service
In office February 1, 2019 – June 6, 2022
President	Donald Trump Joe Biden
Preceded by	Arnold A. Chacón
Succeeded by	Marcia Bernicat
United States Ambassador to Chile
In office October 13, 2016 – January 31, 2019
President	Barack Obama Donald Trump
Preceded by	Michael A. Hammer
Succeeded by	Bernadette Meehan
Personal details
Born	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Children	3
Alma mater	Hiram College George Washington University

Carol Zelis Perez (born in Cleveland) is a career Foreign Service Officer, who previously served as the Director General of the Foreign Service. Perez served as the U.S. Ambassador to Chile from October 2016 to January 2019.

Early life and education

Perez was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Marymount High School in nearby Garfield Heights in 1971. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science at Hiram College in 1975 and subsequently a master's degree in health care administration at George Washington University.^[1]

Career

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ceremonially swears Perez in as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources in 2019

Perez joined the U.S. State Department in 1987. Most of her assignments have been Management in nature, with early postings as a special assistant in the office of the Under Secretary of State for Management, and as operations officer in the State Department Operations Center. Perez served in Italy, Spain, and in Chile.

In 1994, Perez was made administrative and human relations officer at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. She returned to Washington in 1997 for a series of seventh floor and leadership assignments, first as a supervisory general services officer, deputy executive director in the Executive Secretariat; then the following year as office director in the Secretariat staff office; and beginning in 1999 as deputy executive secretary. She was assigned overseas in 2001.

Two years later, she was reassigned to Washington as Deputy Executive Secretary of the department. Part of her duties were organizing and staffing trips made by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. In 2009, Perez was named Consul General in Milan.

Perez returned to Washington in 2011 as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. She was named Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the bureau in 2013 and helped coordinate anti-drug-trafficking efforts in Haiti, Ukraine and the South China Sea. In January 2015, Perez became Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human Resources.

On May 10, 2016, Perez was nominated by President Barack Obama to be U.S. Ambassador to Chile.^[2] Perez testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 21, 2016,^[3] and was confirmed on July 14, 2016.^[4][5] Perez is the first ever woman ambassador accredited to Chile.^[6]

On July 31, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Perez as the Director General of the Foreign Service.^[7] On August 1, 2018, her nomination was sent to the United States Senate.^[8] She was confirmed by the Senate on a voice vote on January 2, 2019,^[9] and sworn in on February 1, 2019.^[10] She left post on June 6, 2022.

Personal life

Perez's family at her swearing-in ceremony in 2019

Perez and her husband, Al, have three children, Michael, Caroline and Marisa. In addition to English, Perez speaks Spanish and Italian.

References

1. "U.S. Ambassador to Chile: Who Is Carol Z. Perez?". September 10, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
2. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. May 10, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016 – via National Archives.
3. "Statement of Carol Perez, Nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Chile" (PDF). United States Senate. June 21, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
4. "PN1423 — Carol Z. Perez — Department of State". United States Congress. July 14, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
5. Lardner, Richard (July 15, 2016). "Senate confirms US ambassadors to 6 countries". Associated Press. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
6. McIntyre, Michael (September 30, 2016). "Garfield Heights native Carol Z. Perez (known then as Carol Zelis) to be sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Chile". Retrieved November 18, 2016.
7. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2018 – via National Archives.
8. "Three Nominations Sent to the Senate Today". whitehouse.gov. August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via National Archives.
9. "PN2374 - Nomination of Carol Z. Perez for Department of State, 115th Congress (2017-2018)". www.congress.gov. January 2, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
10. "Ambassador Carol Z. Perez Sworn in as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources". U.S. Department of State. February 4, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.

External links

• Official site

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Brian Bulatao	Under Secretary of State for Management Acting 2021	Succeeded by John R. Bass
Preceded by Michael A. Hammer	U.S. Ambassador to Chile 2016–2019	Succeeded by Bernadette Meehan
Preceded by Arnold Chacón	Director General of the Foreign Service 2019–2022	Succeeded by Marcia Bernicat