| Jim is a native of Kinston, NC and is a graduate of South Lenoir High School. He was the first person in his family to attend college, and did so with the help of a GI Bill, student loans and a Pell Grant. He is a graduate of Lenoir Community College, North Carolina State University, and Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Jim enjoyed a successful career with a primary focus in the Health Care Sector. Early in his professional career, he worked as a recruitment professional with a primary focus on Surgical Services and Cardiac Programs. His recruitment background led him to the Dental Industry, where he worked with Dental Service Organizations for two decades and discovered strong proclivities for Operations, Process Improvement and Analytics.
As his career steadily advanced, he eventually became Chief Operating Officer of an organization with 240 locations in 40 states, and roughly 2,500 employees under its umbrella. He has completed multiple private equity transactions during his career, and served on various boards.
In January 2019, Jim was selected to replace N.C. Senator Louis Pate who retired due to health reasons. As a strong advocate for eastern North Carolina, Senator Perry was honored to take on the responsibility of following in Senator Pate's footsteps and serving as a voice for the people of Wayne and Lenoir counties in the N.C. General Assembly.
Senator Perry is an outspoken supporter of agriculture / agribusiness, healthcare, education and our military and rural communities. As our state's urban-rural divide continues to grow, he believes it is critical that we have strong and effective leaders in Raleigh that will fight for our rural communities. Senator Perry believes in building relationships with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and helping them understand "our story in the East."
Senator Perry's communication style, work ethic, and proven track record have all led to a broad base of support from farmers, educators, local government officials, small business owners, first responders, business leaders and other sectors.
Senator Perry lives in Lenoir County with his wife, Rebecca, and daughters, Taylor, Reagan and Jordan. They share their home with three spoiled Labrador Retrievers and two very opinionated cats. |