Joan Perkins arrived in Peru in August 2024 to serve as the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Lima and later assumed duties as chargé d’affaires in April 2025. Before her time in Peru, she served as political counselor at the embassies in Madrid, Spain and Port-au-Prince, Haiti as well as the Political/Economic Chief in Asunción, Paraguay. She also performed political work in San José, Costa Rica and La Paz, Bolivia.

In Washington, DC Perkins was chief of staff to the acting assistant secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA), the deputy coordinator for Cuban affairs, and director of the Foreign Service Institute’s Political Training Division. Perkins also served two tours in the Department’s executive secretariat, as a senior watch officer in the Operations Center and as deputy director of the executive secretariat staff.  Early in her career, Perkins also worked as a WHA staff assistant.  

Joan is a career foreign service officer, and she holds a number of Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards from the Department of State.  She has a J.D. from Emory Law School and a B.A. from Drury College.