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Media Advisory from <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A, Inc.<br />
We are saddened to report the news to you that our dear friend Don Perry, vice president of<br />
public relations, passed away suddenly this morning.<br />
Don was a member of our <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A family for nearly 29 years. For many of you in the media,<br />
he was the spokesperson for <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A. He was a well-respected and well-liked media<br />
executive in the Atlanta and University of Georgia communities, and we will all miss him.<br />
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Below is a bio of Don Perry.<br />
Donald A. Perry<br />
Vice President of Corporate Public Relations<br />
<strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A, Inc.<br />
As Vice President of Corporate Public Relations for Atlanta-based <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A, Inc., Don Perry is<br />
responsible for developing and overseeing external communications and publicity programs in<br />
support of key company initiatives, including executive outreach, crisis communications, sports<br />
sponsorships, national promotions, local marketing efforts and publicity support and activation of<br />
the highly successful <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A “Eat Mor Chikin” Cows campaign. Since joining <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A in<br />
1983 as the chain’s first Public Relations Professional as Manager of Corporate PR, Perry has<br />
helped take the company from a regional player in the southeast to a truly national brand with<br />
sales approaching $4 billion.<br />
As the company – and the <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A brand – grew, so did Perry’s responsibilities. Initially<br />
responsible for restaurant grand-opening publicity and “getting (<strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A founder and CEO)<br />
Truett Cathy and the brand name in the paper,” Perry and his department provide guidance and<br />
support to nearly every aspect of the marketing function. In addition, he has helped Truett<br />
Cathy write six books, and he currently is providing assistance on three other books for various<br />
members of <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A’s Executive Committee.<br />
Perry started his career with the General Electric Company, serving in a variety of positions and<br />
locations as part of the company’s in-house News Bureau for nearly a decade. At General<br />
Electric, Perry rose to the level of Publicity Supervisor/Office Manager – serving assigned<br />
business, including Major Appliances/Air Conditioning, Lighting Systems and Aircraft Engines –<br />
prior to joining <strong>Chick</strong>-<strong>fil</strong>-A.<br />
Throughout his career, Perry has been actively involved in advancing his profession, particularly<br />
through his long-running involvement with the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society<br />
of America (PRSA) in Atlanta. He served as Chapter President for the organization in 1993,
and was later inducted into the Georgia Chapter PRSA’s “Order of the Phoenix” and Georgia<br />
PRSA Hall of Fame in December 1999. He has been involved in other industry organizations,<br />
including the Emory University Public Affairs Advisory Council (serving as chairman from 1994-<br />
1996) and the Atlanta Press Club’s Public Relations Council.<br />
A graduate of the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism with a degree<br />
in Public Relations, Perry continues to honor and support his alma mater by offering his time,<br />
his leadership and the wisdom of his experience. He serves on the Professional Advisory Board<br />
of the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications; he has<br />
been a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Georgia Foundation since 2005;<br />
and he has served on the Editorial Advisory Board of the University of Georgia’s Georgia<br />
Magazine. In recognition of his efforts, Perry received Grady College’s John Holliman Jr.<br />
Alumni Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mass Media, and was inducted into the Grady’s<br />
“Fellowship of Top Grady Graduates.” In September of 2011, UGA’s Blue Key Honor Society<br />
honored Perry’s with its prestigious Blue Key Service Award for his professional and civic<br />
contributions, and for outstanding support of higher education in Georgia.<br />
Perry is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta, Class of 2011, and he is also active in his community.<br />
He is a member of the Advisory Board for Sisters…By Choice, Inc., a breast-cancer awareness<br />
support organization in Decatur, Ga. He also serves as an Elder and teacher at Hillcrest<br />
Church of Christ in Decatur.<br />
Perry is married to the former Marilyn Baker of Conyers, Ga. They have three sons – Brandon,<br />
Jason and Kristian – and a grandson, Alex.