Dana Perino Bio
Dana Marie Perino (born May 9, 1972) is an American political commentator, author, and former White House press secretary. She served as the 26th White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush from September 14, 2007, to January 20, 2009, becoming the second woman to hold that position. Since leaving the White House, Perino has built a prominent career in media as a commentator and on-air host for Fox News.
A member of the Republican Party, Perino has also contributed to book publishing, served on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and earned recognition for her work in political communications. She holds a BA from Colorado State University Pueblo and an MA from the University of Illinois Springfield.
Early Life and Background
Dana Marie Perino was born on May 9, 1972, in Evanston, Wyoming, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. Two of her paternal great-grandparents were Italian immigrants from Turin, Piedmont, giving her a family background with deep American and European roots. She attended Ponderosa High School in Parker, a suburb southeast of Denver, where she completed her secondary education.
Perino went on to graduate from Colorado State University Pueblo with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and minors in both political science and Spanish. During her college years, she was active on the university’s forensics team and worked at KTSC-TV, the campus-based Rocky Mountain PBS affiliate. She also worked at KCCY-FM on the 2 to 6 a.m. shift, gaining hands-on experience in broadcasting.
She later obtained a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield. While pursuing her graduate studies, Perino worked for WCIA, a CBS affiliate, as a daily reporter covering the Illinois Capitol. These formative experiences shaped her communication skills and laid the foundation for her future career in politics and media.
Path to US Politics
Perino’s entry into national politics began in Washington, D.C., where she worked for Congressman Scott McInnis (R-CO) as a staff assistant. She then served nearly four years as the press secretary for Rep. Dan Schaefer (R-CO), who chaired the House Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power. In this role, she developed expertise in legislative communications and media strategy.
After Schaefer announced his retirement in 1998, Perino and her husband Peter McMahon moved to Great Britain. In November 2001, she returned to Washington, D.C., and secured a position as a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, where she served for two years. She then joined the White House staff as the associate director of communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
Her work at the CEQ provided strategic advice on message development, media relations, and public outreach. Perino was hired by White House chief of staff Andy Card two months after the September 11 attacks, marking a significant step in her rise within the Bush administration.
Dana Perino Career
Early Career (2002–2005)
Perino’s early career in the Bush administration began with her role as associate director of communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2002. In this position, she handled strategic messaging and coordinated public outreach efforts on environmental policy. Her performance in this role helped establish her reputation as a skilled communicator within the executive branch.
From 2005 to 2007, Perino served as Deputy Press Secretary, supporting the daily operations of the White House press office. She gained valuable experience managing high-profile press interactions and contributed to the administration’s communications strategy during a turbulent period in American politics.
White House Press Secretary Breakthrough (2007–2009)
From March 27 through April 30, 2007, Perino served as the Acting White House Press Secretary while Tony Snow underwent treatment for colon cancer. This interim role demonstrated her ability to handle the intense scrutiny of the White House briefing room. On August 31, 2007, President George W. Bush announced that Snow would be resigning his post for health reasons, with Perino named as his replacement.
Perino served as Assistant to the President and as White House Press Secretary from September 14, 2007, until the end of the Bush administration in January 2009. She became the second woman to hold the position, following Dee Dee Myers who served during the Clinton administration.
One of the most memorable moments of her tenure occurred on December 14, 2008, when a TV journalist threw two shoes at President Bush during a Baghdad press conference. Bush successfully dodged both, but Perino’s eye was injured by a microphone stand during the commotion surrounding the journalist’s arrest. Despite the incident, she continued to fulfill her duties through the end of the administration.
Fox News Era (2009–Present)
Since leaving the White House, Perino became a political commentator on Fox News and a regular co-host on the network’s talk show The Five. In November 2009, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an agency overseeing government-sponsored international broadcasting, and was confirmed by the Senate on June 30, 2010. In 2010, she started teaching a class in political communications part-time at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.
In March 2011, Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., announced that Perino had joined its books imprint Crown Forum as editorial director. On October 2, 2017, she began hosting The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino on Fox News. In early 2021, Perino left The Daily Briefing to co-anchor America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer.
Beginning September 18, 2016, Perino’s podcast Perino & Stirewalt: I’ll Tell You What, co-hosted with Chris Stirewalt, premiered as a weekly limited series on the Fox News Channel. In 2022, she served as a guest host of Fox News’ late night talk show Gutfeld!, and as of 2023 she continues to serve as a regular fill-in host for Greg Gutfeld. In August 2023, it was announced that Perino would host a new podcast entitled Perino on Politics on Fox News Radio ahead of the 2024 presidential election. On August 30, 2023, Fox News Media announced that Perino would moderate the second GOP presidential primary debate on Fox Business alongside Stuart Varney and Ilia Calderón.
Notable Events and Milestones
Perino’s career has been marked by several signature moments, including her historic appointment as the second female White House Press Secretary and her role as a moderator of a GOP presidential primary debate in 2023. She has also made guest appearances on programs such as Jeopardy! during its 2012 Power Players week, facing off against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and CNBC’s David Faber.
Dana Perino Career Highlights
Dana Marie Perino’s career spans government service, political communications, publishing, and broadcast journalism. Her transition from the White House to Fox News has allowed her to remain an influential voice in American political media.
Government and White House Service
Perino’s government career includes serving as a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, associate director of communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Deputy Press Secretary, Acting White House Press Secretary, and ultimately the 26th White House Press Secretary. Her tenure as press secretary made her the second woman to hold the role, following Dee Dee Myers.
Media and Publishing Achievements
In addition to her on-air work at Fox News, Perino served as editorial director at Crown Forum, a division of Random House. She has hosted The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino, co-anchored America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer, and co-hosted the podcast Perino & Stirewalt: I’ll Tell You What. In May 2023, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Colorado State University Pueblo, her alma mater, recognizing her contributions to political communications and media.
Dana Perino Family
Family Background and Personal Heritage
Dana Marie Perino was born in Evanston, Wyoming, and raised in Denver, Colorado. Two of her paternal great-grandparents were Italian immigrants from Turin, Piedmont, reflecting a family heritage that blends American and European roots. She has been a resident of Bay Head, New Jersey.
Personal Life
Perino met her future husband, Peter McMahon, in August 1997, and they were married in 1998. McMahon is 18 years her senior. Perino had a Vizsla dog named Jasper who died on September 4, 2021. A few months later, she announced on the Fox News Channel that she and her husband had acquired another Vizsla named Percy.