Perez is the youngest of five brothers and sisters, all of whom but Perez followed their father in becoming physicians.
Thomas Perez is in the lower left of the family photo.
College/University
Gallery of Thomas Perez
He received his Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science from Brown University in 1983. He covered the cost of attending Brown with scholarships and Pell Grants and by working as a trash collector and in a warehouse. He worked in Brown's dining hall and for the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights.
Gallery of Thomas Perez
In 1987, Perez received a Juris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 1986, while a student at Harvard, Perez worked as a law clerk for Attorney General Edwin Meese.
Career
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2013
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Thomas Perez after being nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as the United States Secretary of Labor.
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2013
United States
Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division in the United States Department of Justice, Thomas Perez of Maryland, at his confirmation hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, on April 18, 2013.
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2014
New York City, USA
Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez speaks at a press conference before New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signs an executive order raising the living wage law on September 30, 2014 in New York City. Under the new living wage law, which takes effect today, employees of companies that receive more than $1 million in subsidies from the city government will need to pay their employees between $11.50 - $13.13 an hour, depending on whether or not the employee receives benefits. The law is expected to effect thousands of people working in industries from retail to fast food.
(Source: Andrew Burton/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2014
New York City, USA
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (R) and Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez speak privately at a press conference before signing an executive order raising the living wage law on September 30, 2014 in New York City. Under the new living wage law, which takes effect today, employees of companies that receive more than $1 million in subsidies from the city government will need to pay their employees between $11.50 - $13.13 an hour, depending on whether or not the employee receives benefits. The law is expected to effect thousands of people working in industries from retail to fast food.
(Source: Andrew Burton/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2014
2400 Five Lees Ln, Glenarden, MD 20706, USA
United States Labor Secretary Tom Perez holds up his Costco membership cared before United States President Barack Obama takes the stage at a Costco store January 29, 2014 in Lanham, Maryland. Repeating some of the same policy proposals from his State of the Union speech the night before, Obama is beginning a two-day, four-state tour to promote a raise in the minimum wage, immigraiton reform and other other policy ideas.
(Jan. 28, 2014 - Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2014
New York City, USA
Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez (R) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speak at a press conference before signing an executive order raising the living wage law on September 30, 2014 in New York City. Under the new living wage law, which takes effect today, employees of companies that receive more than $1 million in subsidies from the city government will need to pay their employees between $11.50 - $13.13 an hour, depending on whether or not the employee receives benefits. The law is expected to effect thousands of people working in industries from retail to fast food.
(Source: Andrew Burton/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2014
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, USA
United States Labor Secretary Tom Perez (C) shares a laugh with members of Congress before President Barack Obama delivers remarks about his plans to help America's long-term unemployed during an event in the East Room of the White House January 31, 2014 in Washington, DC. During the event Obama signed a memorandum directing the federal government not to discriminate against long-term unemployed job seekers.
(Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2015
Washington, DC., USA
President Barack Obama (R) makes remarks as Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Labor Secretary Tom Perez listen at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), February 23, 2015 in Washington, DC. Obama joined AARP and members of the "Save Our Retire" coalition in efforts to protect retirement savings from bad investment advice.
(Source: Pool/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2016
United States
José Tomás Pérez, Dominican Republic Ambassador to the United States, and Thomas Perez, US Secretary of Labor. 28 September 2016
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2016
2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19130, USA
The United States Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez attends the "Our America" Party hosted by Henry Munoz of the Democratic National Committee and Jose Villarreal of Hillary for America sponsored by Instagram and Spotify at the Barnes Foundation on July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(July 26, 2016 - Source: Lisa Lake/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2017
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, USA
Democratic National Party Chirman Tom Perez speaks as about 300 people rally to protest against President Donald Trump's firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey outside the White House May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump fired Comey a day earlier, demonstrators called it the 'Tuesday Night Massacre,' recalling former President Richard Nixon's firing of a independent special prosecutor.
(May 9, 2017 - Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2017
235 N 500 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, USA
DNC Chairman Tom Perez, speaks to a crowd of supporters at a Democratic unity rally at the Rail Event Center on April 21, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sanders and Perez are holding several rallies around the country trying unify the Democratic party.
(April 20, 2017 - Source: George Frey/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2017
400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131, USA
DNC Chair Tom Perez speaks during a "Come Together and Fight Back" tour at the James L Knight Center on April 19, 2017 in Miami, Florida. Mr. Perez and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke on topics from raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, pay equity for women, rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure, combatting climate change, making public colleges and universities tuition-free, criminal justice reform, comprehensive immigration reform and tax reform which demands that the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.
(April 18, 2017 - Source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2017
400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33131, USA
DNC Chair Tom Perez greets people before speaking during a "Come Together and Fight Back" tour at the James L Knight Center on April 19, 2017 in Miami, Florida. Mr. Perez and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke on topics from raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, pay equity for women, rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure, combatting climate change, making public colleges and universities tuition-free, criminal justice reform, comprehensive immigration reform and tax reform which demands that the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.
(April 18, 2017 - Source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2018
E 71st St, New York, NY 10021, USA
Tom Perez speaks onstage during OZY FEST 2018 at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on July 21, 2018 in New York City.
(July 20, 2018 - Source: Matthew Eisman/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2018
450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103, USA
Tom Perez, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, speaks as people gather during an event to mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination April 4, 2018 in Memphis, Tennessee. The city is commemorating King on the anniversary of his assassination that took place on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel.
(April 3, 2018 - Source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America)
Gallery of Thomas Perez
2012
Washington D.C., USA
Assistant United States Attorney General Thomas Perez, giving a speech in Washington D.C. on the 22nd anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, July 26, 2012.
Achievements
Membership
Sigma Chi Fraternity
Awards
Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World
Assistant United States Attorney General Thomas Perez, giving a speech in Washington D.C. on the 22nd anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, July 26, 2012.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Thomas Perez after being nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as the United States Secretary of Labor.
Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division in the United States Department of Justice, Thomas Perez of Maryland, at his confirmation hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, on April 18, 2013.
Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez speaks at a press conference before New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signs an executive order raising the living wage law on September 30, 2014 in New York City. Under the new living wage law, which takes effect today, employees of companies that receive more than $1 million in subsidies from the city government will need to pay their employees between $11.50 - $13.13 an hour, depending on whether or not the employee receives benefits. The law is expected to effect thousands of people working in industries from retail to fast food.
(Source: Andrew Burton/Getty Images North America)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (R) and Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez speak privately at a press conference before signing an executive order raising the living wage law on September 30, 2014 in New York City. Under the new living wage law, which takes effect today, employees of companies that receive more than $1 million in subsidies from the city government will need to pay their employees between $11.50 - $13.13 an hour, depending on whether or not the employee receives benefits. The law is expected to effect thousands of people working in industries from retail to fast food.
(Source: Andrew Burton/Getty Images North America)
United States Labor Secretary Tom Perez holds up his Costco membership cared before United States President Barack Obama takes the stage at a Costco store January 29, 2014 in Lanham, Maryland. Repeating some of the same policy proposals from his State of the Union speech the night before, Obama is beginning a two-day, four-state tour to promote a raise in the minimum wage, immigraiton reform and other other policy ideas.
(Jan. 28, 2014 - Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)
Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez (R) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speak at a press conference before signing an executive order raising the living wage law on September 30, 2014 in New York City. Under the new living wage law, which takes effect today, employees of companies that receive more than $1 million in subsidies from the city government will need to pay their employees between $11.50 - $13.13 an hour, depending on whether or not the employee receives benefits. The law is expected to effect thousands of people working in industries from retail to fast food.
(Source: Andrew Burton/Getty Images North America)
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, USA
United States Labor Secretary Tom Perez (C) shares a laugh with members of Congress before President Barack Obama delivers remarks about his plans to help America's long-term unemployed during an event in the East Room of the White House January 31, 2014 in Washington, DC. During the event Obama signed a memorandum directing the federal government not to discriminate against long-term unemployed job seekers.
(Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)
President Barack Obama (R) makes remarks as Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Labor Secretary Tom Perez listen at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), February 23, 2015 in Washington, DC. Obama joined AARP and members of the "Save Our Retire" coalition in efforts to protect retirement savings from bad investment advice.
(Source: Pool/Getty Images North America)
2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19130, USA
The United States Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez attends the "Our America" Party hosted by Henry Munoz of the Democratic National Committee and Jose Villarreal of Hillary for America sponsored by Instagram and Spotify at the Barnes Foundation on July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(July 26, 2016 - Source: Lisa Lake/Getty Images North America)
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, USA
Democratic National Party Chirman Tom Perez speaks as about 300 people rally to protest against President Donald Trump's firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey outside the White House May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump fired Comey a day earlier, demonstrators called it the 'Tuesday Night Massacre,' recalling former President Richard Nixon's firing of a independent special prosecutor.
(May 9, 2017 - Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)
DNC Chairman Tom Perez, speaks to a crowd of supporters at a Democratic unity rally at the Rail Event Center on April 21, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sanders and Perez are holding several rallies around the country trying unify the Democratic party.
(April 20, 2017 - Source: George Frey/Getty Images North America)
DNC Chair Tom Perez speaks during a "Come Together and Fight Back" tour at the James L Knight Center on April 19, 2017 in Miami, Florida. Mr. Perez and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke on topics from raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, pay equity for women, rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure, combatting climate change, making public colleges and universities tuition-free, criminal justice reform, comprehensive immigration reform and tax reform which demands that the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.
(April 18, 2017 - Source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America)
DNC Chair Tom Perez greets people before speaking during a "Come Together and Fight Back" tour at the James L Knight Center on April 19, 2017 in Miami, Florida. Mr. Perez and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke on topics from raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, pay equity for women, rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure, combatting climate change, making public colleges and universities tuition-free, criminal justice reform, comprehensive immigration reform and tax reform which demands that the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.
(April 18, 2017 - Source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America)
Tom Perez speaks onstage during OZY FEST 2018 at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on July 21, 2018 in New York City.
(July 20, 2018 - Source: Matthew Eisman/Getty Images North America)
Tom Perez, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, speaks as people gather during an event to mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination April 4, 2018 in Memphis, Tennessee. The city is commemorating King on the anniversary of his assassination that took place on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel.
(April 3, 2018 - Source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America)
He received his Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science from Brown University in 1983. He covered the cost of attending Brown with scholarships and Pell Grants and by working as a trash collector and in a warehouse. He worked in Brown's dining hall and for the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights.
In 1987, Perez received a Juris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 1986, while a student at Harvard, Perez worked as a law clerk for Attorney General Edwin Meese.
Perez is the youngest of five brothers and sisters, all of whom but Perez followed their father in becoming physicians.
Thomas Perez is in the lower left of the family photo.
Thomas Edward Perez is an American politician and attorney who is the Chair of the Democratic National Committee since February 2017. Perez was previously Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights (2009–2013) and United States Secretary of Labor (2013–2017).
Background
Thomas Edward Perez was born on October 7, 1961. He was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, to parents Grace (née Altagracia Brache Bernard) and Rafael Antonio de Jesús Pérez Lara, who were both first-generation Dominican immigrants.
His father, who earned United States citizenship after enlisting in the United States Army after World War II, worked as a doctor in Atlanta, Georgia, before moving to Buffalo, where he worked as a physician at a Veterans Affairs hospital.
His mother, Grace, came to the United States in 1930 after her father, Rafael Brache, was appointed as the Dominican Republic's Ambassador to the United States. Brache was initially an ally of Rafael Trujillo, but after a falling out, he was declared an enemy of the state, forcing him and his family to remain in the United States.
Perez is the youngest of five brothers and sisters, all of whom but Perez followed their father in becoming physicians. His father died of a heart attack when Perez was 12 years old.
Education
Perez graduated from Canisius High School, an all boys Jesuit school in Buffalo, in 1979.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science from Brown University in 1983. He covered the cost of attending Brown with scholarships and Pell Grants and by working as a trash collector and in a warehouse. He worked in Brown's dining hall and for the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights.
In 1987, Perez received a Juris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 1986, while a student at Harvard, Perez worked as a law clerk for Attorney General Edwin Meese.
Tom Perez started his career as a civil rights attorney at the United States Department of Justice. There, he fought to protect and expand opportunity for all Americans. While prosecuting some of the Department's most high-profile civil rights cases, Tom saw firsthand the effects of hate and bigotry, and he fought to ensure that our justice system held accountable those who would violate the civil and constitutional rights of their fellow Americans.
Later on, Tom was special counsel to Senator Ted Kennedy, advising him on civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues. He worked with Senator Kennedy to fight discriminatory laws like the Defense of Marriage Act. And as African-American churches were being burned to the ground in the late ‘90s, Tom and Senator Kennedy worked to pass the Church Arson Prevention Act, making it a federal crime to commit arson or vandalism against a place of worship.
Tom also served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Attorney General Janet Reno and led the Office for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Health and Human Services at the end of the Clinton administration.
Tom returned to the Department of Justice in 2009 after President Obama was elected, serving as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Leading the Civil Rights division after the Bush administration had decimated it, Tom oversaw the effort to restore and expand the division's achievements.
With his leadership, they successfully implemented the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act; protected equal housing opportunity by pursuing and resolving the largest fair-lending cases in history; helped ensure schoolchildren are free from discrimination, bullying and harassment; dramatically expanded access to employment, housing and educational opportunities by fighting for people with disabilities; defended Americans’ right to vote free from discrimination; took record-setting efforts to ensure that communities have effective and accountable policing; and safeguarded the employment, housing, fair lending and voting rights of service members. Tom expanded the division's partnerships, working across federal agencies to address shared challenges in human trafficking, employment discrimination and fair lending, among others.
Tom’s also been a local leader and organizer, running and winning a seat on the Montgomery County Council. He was the first Latino elected to the council, serving from 2002 until 2006, and was Council president. He then served as Secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. In 2002, Tom started as board president at CASA de Maryland, an organization that provides services to immigrants. Under his leadership, CASA experienced monumental growth - from the basement of a church to a $7M headquarters that opened without a lease - and grew from a service provider to one of the largest immigrant advocacy organizations in the country. In 2013, Perez was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the United States Secretary of Labor, replacing outgoing Secretary Hilda Solis.
After the 2016 elections, Perez announced his candidacy for Chair of the Democratic National Committee in the 2017 party election. After a tight race against Keith Ellison, Perez was elected Chairman on the second ballot and immediately appointed Ellison as deputy chair.
Tom Perez is remembered as the 26th United States Secretary of Labor, who worked to reignite the department’s fight to protect and expand opportunities for American workers. Under his leadership, the Labor Department has fought to secure collective bargaining rights, better wages and overtime pay, and the opportunity for middle-class families to retire comfortably and securely.
In 2014, Perez received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Brown University. On May 21, 2014, Perez received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Drexel University School of Law. In May 2014, Perez was given an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Oberlin College.
In 2017, Tom Perez became one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Religion
Perez is Catholic, and recalls that his parents told him, "In order to get to heaven, you have to have letters of reference from poor people."
Politics
During the 2016 presidential election, Perez was mentioned as a possible running mate on the Democratic ticket with Hillary Clinton, but was ultimately not selected. Perez later campaigned for the Clinton-Kaine ticket.
Views
Quotations:
“Clearly, apprenticeships are a win-win: They provide workers with sturdy rungs on that ladder of opportunity and employers with the skilled workers they need to grow their businesses.”
“Community colleges provide higher education where people live, helping to build strong ladders of opportunity that allow people to secure a foothold in the middle class.”
“Employers have recognized for some time that it’s smart business to have a diverse workforce – one in which many views are represented and everyone’s talents are valued. Well, disability is part of diversity.”
“Everything has changed in recent decades – the economy, technology, cultural attitudes, the demographics of the workforce, the role of women in society and the structure of the American family.”
“From the outset, the Obama administration has recognized that building a robust skills infrastructure means building strong partnerships with community colleges.”
“I believe we’re making a mistake if we regard job creation and job safety as mutually exclusive or inherently in conflict; they can and they must go hand-in-hand.”
“If you’re one car accident away from poverty, you’re on a high wire without a safety net. And that’s a challenging proposition.”
“Involvement in my kids’ sports teams is something I have made time for over the years. I’ve also been able to coach all three of them in baseball and basketball, something that has strengthened our bonds and given me indescribable joy. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“It stands to reason: Higher wages means higher loyalty and morale, which means higher productivity, which means a more profitable business.”
“It was a privilege to serve as the assistant attorney general for civil rights, a role that allowed me to enforce the Civil Rights Act and help make its promise a reality.”
“Mandatory arbitration clauses I think, more often than not, work to the detriment of working people.”
“Nobody who works 40 hours a week should have to live in poverty.”
“Our workforce and our entire economy are strongest when we embrace diversity to its fullest, and that means opening doors of opportunity to everyone and recognizing that the American Dream excludes no one.”
“People believe mistakenly, that with death comes atonement, when in reality, life is for atonement and Death is for Judgment.”
“Raising the minimum wage isn’t just pro-worker; it’s pro-economic growth.”
“The employers who do best are employers who reject these false choices. It’s not a zero-sum world where you either take care of your workers or you take care of your shareholders. You can do good and do well, too.”
“The typical minimum wage earner is a provider and a breadwinner – most likely a woman – responsible for paying bills, running a household and raising children.”
“There’s a myth out there that you have to genuflect at the altar of quarterly earnings. But it’s a false choice that you can either be a good fiduciary or promote values such as environmental sustainability.”
“To fulfill the promise of economic opportunity, we must remain true to the principle that collective bargaining is a cornerstone of a free society and indispensable to a strong middle class.”
“We’re building a movement. It’s undeniably a work in progress, but there’s a fundamental desire to see capitalism to do something different.”
“When we lift the wage floor, it not only betters the lives of those whose wages are directly affected, it also lifts the economy as a whole.”
“When you put more money in the pockets of working families, they spend it on groceries, gas, school supplies, and other goods and services. And that helps businesses grow and create jobs. So many forward-looking employers, large and small, understand this.”
“Workers all too frequently have been taking it on the chin. They’re working hard and falling behind, all too frequently.”
Membership
Perez joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity in Brown University.
Sigma Chi Fraternity
Personality
Physical Characteristics:
Height - 1.80 m (180 cm)
Weight - 172 lbs (78 kg)
Eye color - brown
Hair color - grey
Interests
Hobbies - reading, traveling, cooking
Politicians
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
Connections
Perez lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife, Ann Marie Staudenmaier, an attorney with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and their three children.
