Ambassador Perry is returning to The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) as Vice President after a three year sabbatical, during which he accompanied his Foreign Service spouse to Montevideo, Uruguay. While in Uruguay he worked as a consultant with CCA and other American companies.  During his 2003-2005 stint at CCA, he was responsible for overseeing the management of USAID grant programs for West Africa and South Africa, and organizing conferences to promote trade and investment in Africa.  In 2004, this included the Nigeria-US Trade & Investment Conference in Abuja, Nigeria, the US-Africa Agribusiness Conference in Monterey, and an Oil & Gas Forum in Houston.

A career Foreign Service Officer, Ambassador Perry served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs, with responsibility for West Africa, Economic Policy, and Public Diplomacy (July 2001-December 2002).  Previously, he served as US Ambassador to the Central African Republic (January 1999-June 2001).  His earlier foreign postings included Bolivia, Mauritius, Mexico, Ethiopia, Chile and Vietnam.   At the State Department he worked in the Bureaus of African Affairs, Western Hemisphere Affairs, Intelligence and Research, and Narcotics Matters.  Bob attended the National Defense University and the State Department’s Senior Seminar leadership development program.  His foreign languages are Spanish and French.

Ambassador Perry’s professional associations include:  Trustee of the Phelps Stokes Fund, Advisory Board Member of KRL International, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Association of Black American Ambassadors.   He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Wittenberg University and a M.A. in International Affairs from American University.