William J. Perry

William J. Perry is the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor at Stanford University, with a joint appointment in the School of Engineering and the Institute for International Studies. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Co-director of the Preventive Defense Project, a research collaboration of Stanford and Harvard Universities.

Dr. Perry was the 19th Secretary of Defense for the United States, serving from February 1994 to January 1997. His previous government experience was as Deputy Secretary of Defense and as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Dr. Perry is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. From 1946 until 1947, Dr. Perry was an enlisted man in the Army Corps of Engineers. He joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1948 and was a second lieutenant in the Army Reserves from 1950 until 1955.

Dr. Perry has received a number of awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and Outstanding Civilian Service Medals from the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Defense Intelligence Agency, NASA and the Coast Guard.

Dr. Perry received his B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from Penn State, all in mathematics.