Jon Perez, PhD.

Region IX -Arizona, California, Hawaii, Guam, Nevada, American Samoa, CNMI, FSM, Marshall Islands, Palau

Jon Perez, PhD.
SAMHSA Regional Administrator
90 7th Street, 8th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103

Captain Jon T. Perez, Ph.D. , is a nationally recognized clinical psychologist with over 20 years of federal service ranging from direct care to policy and program management in the United States and abroad. He was commissioned in the U.S. Public Health Service in 1992, and over the last 19 years rose from direct clinical work in small, isolated clinics to his current position as the National Behavioral Health Consultant for the Indian Health Service. As such, he provides national leadership for American Indian and Alaska Native behavioral health programming, and has spent most of his career helping communities develop their own services and programs. For over a decade he has also maintained an active clinical practice at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, where he specializes in adolescents and returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dr. Perez is equally well known for developing programs for disaster response networks and international health diplomacy efforts. He began his disaster relief work during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and has been actively involved in developing and deploying disaster teams internationally since then, first with civilian relief organizations, and now with multiple federal response groups. His most recent international missions include assignment as the behavioral health commander during initial U.S. tsunami relief efforts aboard USNS Mercy in Banda Aceh, and serving as the Senior Liaison Officer between coalition forces and the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health in 2007-2008. His most recent domestic deployments include leading health response teams for Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the Presidential Inauguration in 2009.

In addition to numerous other professional, military, academic, and civic honors, Dr. Perez received a letter of commendation from the President of the United States in 1991 for his pioneering work with military families in over 20 countries during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; the Secretary of Health and Human Services Distinguished Service Award in 2006 for his work on behalf of Louisiana school children following hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and the White Eagle Feather  in 1999 from the people of the White Mountain Apache Tribe for his seven years' work with them as their behavioral health director.

Dr. Perez is a native Californian who was raised, trained, and still lives in Region IX. In addition to California, he has also lived in Nevada and Arizona, and has served in Hawaii on numerous military and civilian missions.

Last updated: 11/7/2011