Perry earned a Master of Arts degree in Politics, philosophy, and economics from Hertford College, Oxford.

[2] From 1989 to 2010 Perry was a member of the Department of Government at Sweet Briar College, where she became the Carter Glass Professor and established the Center for Civic Renewal.

Perry assisted the Chief Justice in researching and writing speeches and provided briefings for hundreds of foreign dignitaries from around the world.

She is currently collaborating with designers of the Robert F. Kennedy Democracy Center in Washington, D.C. Perry chairs the Steering Committee for the Henry J. Abraham Distinguished Lecture, held each spring at the University of Virginia Law School.

Perry frequently provides political analysis of and historical context for current public affairs to media outlets throughout the nation and the world, appearing as a quoted expert in newspaper features, providing radio and television interviews, and writing op-eds.