William Perry

William Perry is the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor (emeritus) at Stanford University, in the School of Engineering’s Department of Management Science & Engineering. From February 1994 to January 1997, Perry served as the 19th Secretary of Defense for the United States. He previously served as Deputy Secretary of Defense (1993-1994) and as Under Secretary of Defense for research and engineering (1977-1981).

At Stanford, Perry is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and the Hoover Institution, and serves as director of the Preventive Defense Project. He is an expert in U.S. foreign policy, national security and arms control, and served as co-director of Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation from 1988 to 1993.

Perry has served in the Army and been honored many times over by the United States, its armed forces and governments throughout Europe and the Middle East. He received a B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University, all in mathematics.