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