Prior to joining DHS, Ms. Pérez was appointed by the OPM Director to lead the Human Capital Leadership and Merit System Accountability (HCLMSA) Division of OPM. In this capacity, she led the government-wide effort to transform human capital management so that agencies are held accountable for managing their workforce effectively and efficiently. Ms. Perez was the architect of the Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework (HCAAF), a set of standards and measures designed to evaluate human capital management practices in the federal government. All major agencies continue to achieve measurable results against the standards.

Before joining OPM, Ms. Pérez served as Director of the Office of Human Resources for the Montgomery County, Maryland Government.  In that position, she oversaw all aspects of human resources management for more than 10,000 employees and 4,000 retired employees and their dependents.  Prior to her appointment in Montgomery County, Ms. Pérez served 17 years as a manager with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) where she held a variety of assignments dealing with domestic and international law enforcement organizations.

Ms. Pérez has a M.S. degree in Organization Development and Human Resources from The Johns Hopkins University along with a B.A. in Criminology from the University of Maryland. She is an alumna of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.