Biography

Ms. LeKesha L. Perry, MA, MPPA, has extensive experience as an evaluator, policy analyst, strategic planner and technical assistance provider for multiple disciplines. She is the founder, CEO and Principal Associate of Key Concepts, LLC, a research and evaluation firm committed to seeking solutions to some of our society’s most challenging and complex problems. Prior to founding Key Concepts, Ms. Perry was Senior Program Manager of Policy and Impact at CommonHealth ACTION, where she managed, designed, and implemented various technical assistance and evaluation related activities. Ms. Perry was among a distinguished group of professionals to participate in the 2014 Research Delegation to Cuba Program where academics, policy makers, public health experts, and nonprofit leaders from across the United States convened to study the impact of culture on breastfeeding in Cuba. Because of her experience and leadership, Ms. Perry was selected as a W.K. Kellogg Community Leadership Fellow, where she was identified as leading transformative social change in her community so that vulnerable children and their families can achieve optimal health and well-being, academic achievement and financial security. Ms. Perry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Millsaps College, as well as a Master of Arts in Political Science and Master of Public Policy and Administration degrees, both from Mississippi State University. A Doctoral Candidate in the Public Policy and Administration program at Mississippi State University, Ms. Perry’s dissertation, “The Makings of a Public Administrator,” examines the antecedents to public service motivation in first-semester Black students who participate in service-learning programs at a public college/university.