William J. Perry (chair), former U.S. secretary of defense (1994-1997), is Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor, a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a member of the faculty in the School of Engineering, all at Stanford University. 

An expert in U.S. foreign policy, national security, and arms control, Dr. Perry is also co-director of the Preventive Defense Project, a collaborative research project of Stanford and Harvard Universities, and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute.  From 1988 to 1993, he was co-director of the Center for International Security and Arms Control, during which time he continued his professorial activities at Stanford on a part-time basis.  Prior to that time, he was deputy secretary of defense (1993-1994) and under secretary of defense for research and engineering (1977-1981). 

Dr. Perry is a member of the boards of directors of several emerging high-tech companies and chairman of Global Technology Partners.  His business experience includes:  laboratory director for General Telephone and Electronics (1954-1964); founder and president of ESL Inc. (1964-1977); executive vice- president of Hambrecht and Quist Inc (1981-1985); and founder and chairman of Technology Strategies and Alliances (1985-1993).  A member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he received a B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University, all in mathematics.