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Rick Perry has transitioned from a distinguished political career, serving as the longest-running Governor of Texas and later as the U.S. Secretary of Energy, to an advocate for energy, veterans, and mental health initiatives, as well as a public speaker.
Perry joined the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners, a company that owns and operates a large energy asset portfolio in the United States.
Perry rejoined MCNA Dental's board of directors as chief strategy officer and vice chairman.
Perry, along with his son Griffin and conservative investor Toby Neugebauer, launched Fermi America, a data center real estate investment trust with plans to expand into nuclear energy. The company aimed to build an 11-gigawatt energy and data center campus named the "Donald J. Trump Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus" outside Amarillo, Texas.
James Richard Perry, born on March 4, 1950, in Haskell, Texas, grew up on a dryland cotton farm in Paint Creek. He was an Eagle Scout and was among the first in his family to attend college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M University in 1972. During his time at Texas A&M, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and served as a Yell Leader. Following his graduation, Perry was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force in 1972, completing pilot training in 1974. He served as a Lockheed C-130 Hercules pilot with the 772nd Tactical Airlift Squadron, undertaking humanitarian missions in Africa and earthquake relief efforts in Guatemala. He concluded his military service in 1977 with the rank of Captain before returning to Texas to farm cotton with his father.
Perry’s political career began in 1984 when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat from District 64, serving three two-year terms. He switched to the Republican Party in 1989 and was elected Agriculture Commissioner of Texas in 1990. In 1998, he became the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, the first Republican to hold that office since Reconstruction. In December 2000, Perry assumed the governorship following George W. Bush’s resignation to become President. He was subsequently elected governor in his own right in 2002 and re-elected in 2006 and 2010, becoming the longest-serving governor in Texas history, holding the office for over 14 consecutive years until January 2015.
After two unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 2012 and 2016, Perry was nominated by President Donald Trump as the 14th United States Secretary of Energy, a position he held from March 2017 to December 2019. In his post-political life, Perry has taken on board positions with companies such as Energy Transfer Partners and MCNA Dental. He has also become a vocal advocate for ibogaine and psychedelic-assisted therapy, driven by personal experience with these treatments. Furthermore, he co-founded Fermi America, a data center real estate investment trust focused on nuclear energy. His diverse career reflects a continued engagement in public service, business, and advocacy.
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