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.

Part of her duties were organizing and staffing trips made by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.

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.

[6] On July 31, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Perez as the Director General of the Foreign Service.