Thomas Perez

Thomas Perez
Name	Thomas Perez
Caption	Official portrait, 2013
Office	26th United States Secretary of Labor
President	Barack Obama
Term start	July 23, 2013
Term end	January 20, 2017
Predecessor	Hilda Solis
Successor	Alexander Acosta
Office1	Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Term start1	February 25, 2017
Term end1	January 21, 2021
Predecessor1	Donna Brazile (interim)
Successor1	Jaime Harrison
Office2	Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
President2	Barack Obama
Term start2	October 8, 2009
Term end2	July 23, 2013
Predecessor2	Grace Chung Becker (acting)
Successor2	Jocelyn Samuels (acting)
Birth date	7 October 1961
Birth place	Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Education	Brown University (BA), Harvard University (JD, MPP)

Thomas Perez is an American politician, attorney, and civil servant who served as the 26th United States Secretary of Labor under President Barack Obama. He later chaired the Democratic National Committee from 2017 to 2021. A career public servant, Perez has held significant roles in the United States Department of Justice, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and local government in Maryland.

Early life and education

Born in Buffalo, New York, to immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Perez grew up in the Buffalo metropolitan area. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University, where he studied international relations and political science. He subsequently attended Harvard University, where he concurrently earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Legal and political career

Perez began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Zita L. Weinshienk on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. He then served as a prosecutor in the United States Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division under Attorney General Janet Reno. He later worked as a senior advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy on civil rights and criminal justice issues. In the early 2000s, Perez entered Maryland politics, serving on the Montgomery County Council and later as the state's Secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation under Governor Martin O'Malley.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights

Appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate in 2009, Perez led the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. His tenure focused on aggressive enforcement of federal civil rights laws, including landmark cases involving the Americans with Disabilities Act, fair lending practices against institutions like Countrywide Financial, and police department reforms in cities such as New Orleans and Cleveland. He also oversaw the division's work on hate crimes prevention and voting rights protection.

Secretary of Labor

As United States Secretary of Labor, Perez championed policies to raise the federal minimum wage, expand overtime pay eligibility, and promote workplace safety. He played a key role in implementing the Affordable Care Act's employer provisions and advocated for paid family leave. His department also focused on job training programs and strengthening protections for workers in industries like construction and fast food. He worked closely with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Wage and Hour Division to enforce labor standards.

Chair of the Democratic National Committee

Elected chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017 following the 2016 United States presidential election, Perez sought to rebuild the party's state-level infrastructure. His tenure was marked by efforts to support candidates in the 2018 United States elections and the 2020 United States presidential election. He worked alongside figures like Tom Perez and Keith Ellison and navigated internal party debates on strategy and ideology leading up to the successful campaign of President Joe Biden.

Later career and other roles

After leaving the Democratic National Committee, Perez joined the faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park and remained active in political advocacy. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed him as a senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, a role in which he liaises with state, local, and tribal officials. He has also served on numerous boards, including for the Center for American Progress and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda.

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:United States Secretaries of Labor Category:Democratic National Committee chairs Category:American people of Dominican Republic descent