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Commissioner
Juan M. Pérez was born in San
Sebastian, Puerto Rico in June 1st , 1965, Juan is one
of 18 children. He moved to the Willimantic Connecticut
in 1981 with his parents and 5 other siblings. He
graduated with honors from Windham High School in 1983.
At the time, he was honored as the "Top Minority Student
of CT" by the University of CT. He was the first Latino
to be chosen to represent Windham with the Close Up
Foundation in Washington, D.C.He graduated top of his
class in the Bilingual Program. He served in the Unites
States Navy. Attended the Inter American University in
Puerto Rico, Thames Valley College in Washington State.
He graduated with a BA in Political Science from
Eastern Connecticut State University. He also holds a
minor in Latin American Studies.
Comm. Pérez
works as a Claim Representative with the Social Security
Administration in Norwich, CT. Before that, he worked as
an educational Counselor at Quinebaug Valley Community
College in Danielson, CT. He is married to Tracy Ann
Pérez and has a son, Ruben Marti Pérez. They moved to
Colchester CT in 2007.
Commissioner
Pérez, after moving back to Windham in 1992,
founded the Windham Boxing Club and Youth Development
Program. He was president of the program until 2001. The
program was nationally recognized and three of its
participants attained the 2000 Olympic trials in
Scranton, Pennsylvania. He spearheaded a committee that
created the Julia the Burgos Park in Willimantic. This
is the only park in the nation that honors Puerto Rico's
national poet. The park is home the Curbstone Press'
"Poetry in the Park Summer Series". National and
International poets have performed at the park; such as
Martin Espada, Claribel Alegria, Daisy Zamorra, Ernesto
Cardenal, Luis Rodriguez, Tino Villanueva and others.
Pérez served
in the Windham Board of Selectmen from 2003-2005. He was
the first elected official in the United States under
the newly formed Working Families Party. As a member of
the Board, he fought for Latino issues like racial
profiling by police and affirmative action Pérez, with
then Representative Walter Pawelkiewicz fought hard to
establish a satellite office of the Spanish American
Merchants Association in Willimantic. SAMA was
officially open in Windham in early 2008.
Pérez served
with the Quinebaug Valley Community College Advisory
Board. Pérez is co-founder of Collectivo Mestizal, a
local arts group. The group organizes the Three Kings
Day toy giveaway in January and the Julia de Burgos Park
Anniversary in September of each year.
Other
organizations
Former
member
Windham Democratic Town Committee 1993-2001
Working Families Party Organization-2003-
Windham Hospital Board of Corporators 1994-1996
Windham 2000 Committee1994-1995
Windham Public Safety Committee 2003-2005
Wrench in the Works Collective 2007
Chair, Todo Connecticut con Vieques, Willimantic Chapter
2004-2005
Windham Poetry Festival, Judge 2002-2003
USA Boxing certify Judge 2000-2001
CT USA Boxing Board of Directors, Secretary 1998-2000
Volunteer Curbstone Press
Awards
Various CT State Legislature Citations Windham Key to
the City 1994, 1996
NECASA Community Volunteer Award 1996
Secretary of State Citizen of the Year Award 1996
ECSU Latino Organization Community Service Award (OLAS)
ECSU Dr. Martin Luther King Day Award |
