Cynthia Shepard Perry Papers
An educator, diplomat, and expert on Africa, Cynthia Shepard Perry was the first recipient of a Ed.D. from of the Program in International Education at UMass Amherst (1972). Born in Burnett, Indiana, in 1928, Perry was raising a family when she set a twenty-five year goal of earning a doctorate and entering international service. One year after earning a bachelor’s degree at Indiana State University in 1967, she arranged for her first trip to Africa, leading a secretarial training project at the University of Nairobi, and over succeeding decades, her connections to the continent deepened dramatically. On faculty at Texas Southern University (1971-1982), Perry served as Associate Director of the university’s Peace Corps Program, which resulted in her leading educational projects in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and Kenya. In demand for her expertise, she worked as a consultant to the United States Information Service in Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia and as Staff Development Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa. Having become a full professor and Dean of International Affairs, she left TSU in 1982 to take her first diplomatic post as an officer of the Africa Bureau of the United States Agency for International Development, followed by successive appointments as Ambassador to Sierra Leone (1986-1989) and Burundi (1989-1993), as Honorary Consul General of Rwanda, and finally an appointment as United States Executive Director of the African Development Bank (1996-2001). Although officially retired, Perry remains active in supporting education and development in Africa from her home in Houston. Among many other awards she has received, Perry was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from UMass for her international work and was recognized by the Salute to Service Award.
A record of a life in international service in Africa, the Perry Papers include materials from Perry’s time as head of the African Development Bank and her two ambassadorial appointments, including speeches, some correspondence, and a handful of publications. The collection also includes a series of awards and plaques, some family photographs, and memorabilia.
Ambassador Cynthia Shepard Perry was born in Lost Creek, Indiana, outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 11, 1928 as the fifth of nine children. In 1946, she graduated from Otter Creek High School as one of only two black students in her class. At the age of 16 and while raising her family, Perry decided that she wanted to be an ambassador. With the help of her family and her high school principal, Perry devised a twenty-five year plan to complete her goals. This journey included a degree in political science from Indiana State University in 1968; her doctorate in International Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1972, as the first recipient of a PhD from the program of International Education; working at an international corporation; five years working in Africa; and completing five years of research.
Perry began her career in 1952 in Terre Haute, Indiana working at the Nichols Investment Corporation, and then moved to the IBM Corporation to work as an educational representative. She later served as the Director of the National Teacher Corps at the University of Massachusetts Amherst while she earned her doctorate. Following her time at the UMass, Perry joined the faculty of Texas Southern University as an associate professor and Associate Director of Teacher Corps/Peace Corps. She later became a full professor and Dean of International Affairs from 1978-1982.
Perry first went to Africa in 1969 as a part of the Operation Crossroads Africa project, a secretarial training program at the University of Nairobi. In 1973, Perry and her second husband, James O. Perry, returned to Nairobi for three years as her husband had taken a position with UNESCO at the University of Nairobi. During this time, she trained Peace Corps paramedical volunteers, lectured at the University, and served as a consultant to the US Information Service in Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia. In 1974, Perry was a member of diplomatic delegations to Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia. In 1976, she was appointed to the position of Staff Development Officer at the UN Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Abba, Ethiopia.
Perry’s diplomatic journey began in 1982 with her appointment to the position of Chief of the Education and Human Resources Division in the Africa Bureau of the Agency of International Development (A.I.D.) by President Ronald Reagan. She held this position until she was appointed Ambassador to Sierra Leone, where she served as Ambassador from 1986-1989. In 1989, she was appointed Ambassador to Burundi by the new President George H. Bush, and served in Burundi for the entirety of the Bush administration from 1989-1993. In addition to her diplomatic work as an ambassador, Perry also served as Honorary Counsel General for Senegal and currently serves as Honorary Counsel General for Senegal.
In 1996, President George W. Bush appointed her Regent of Texas Woman’s University during his time as governor of Texas. Perry served there until 2001, when President George W. Bush appointed her U.S. Executive Director of the African Development Bank in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and later, Tunis, Tunisia. She held this position until her retirement in 2007. Shortly afterward, the Ambassador returned to Houston, where she remains active in supporting education and development in Africa. Among many other awards she has received, Perry was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from UMass Amherst for her international work and was recognized by the Salute to Service Award.
Ambassador Cynthia Shepard Perry spent her life in international service to both the United States and to Africa as an American ambassador, the head of the U.S. branch of the African Development Bank, and as an active supporter of education and development in Africa. The Cynthia Shepard Perry Papers document the Ambassador’s career in foreign relations between the United States and Africa. The collection focuses on her time abroad in Sierra Leone and Burundi as an Ambassador and serving as the U.S. Executive Director of the African Development Bank, as well as her work in the United States regarding Africa as an educator at Texas Southern University, the University of Massachusetts, and with the Peace Corps.
The Cynthia Shepard Perry Papers consist of various documents, correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia from her international service abroad and at home in the United States. Also included in the papers are documents, manuscripts, and photographs from her 2001 autobiography, All Things Being Equal: One Woman’s Journey
The collection is organized into five series:
Acquired from Cynthia Shepard Perry, October, 2014.
Processed by Joanna Nevins, December, 2015.
)Cite as: Cynthia Shepard Perry Papers (MS 842). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.