The University of Toledo

Juan Jose "John" Perez (2018)

Juan Jose "John" Perez was appointed to The University of Toledo Board of Trustees in 2011.  He is Vice Chair of the Trusteeship and Governance Committee and a member of the Finance and Audit Committee.

John was born in Carrizo Springs, Texas.  Because his parents were migrant workers, he and his family traveled through the northwestern states working in the fields.  Like most children from migrant-worker families, he attended two or three different elementary schools each year.  Before starting high school, John's family settled in Toledo, Ohio.  After graduating from Bowsher High School, John attended Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee where he received his BA in Psychology.  In 1985, he received his Juris Doctorate from The University of Toledo College of Law.

John began his legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Nicholas J. Walinski, District Judge for the U.S. District Court in Toledo.  He then joined a major law firm in Columbus, first as associate and then partner.  Later, he served as general counsel and vice president of administration for a publicly traded company.  In 1997, he fulfilled a goal he set early in life and opened up his own law office.  In 1999, the firm name was changed to Perez & Morris LLC.  Perez & Morris is a Hispanic-owned business law firm representing clients throughout Ohio and the United States.

Community involvement is important to John, both through his law firm and personally.  He currently serves as Trustee on the Board of the Mount Carmel Health System (which is comprised of four hospitals and six clinics).  He is the past Chair of the Governance Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Simon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of America, The Ohio State University's Wexner Center for the Arts, and the National Kidney Foundation.  In 2011, the first received the Family Friendly Award from the Ohio Women's Bar Association.

John is one of the founding members and currently sites on the Board of Directors of Columbus First Bank, a community bank located in Columbus.  He is a member of the Columbus Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association.  He is an active member of the National Retail & Restaurant Defense Association, National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms, The Risk Management Society, Council on Litigation Management, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and Defense Research Institute.

In 2009, John was featured on the cover of the inaugural edition Of "Who's Who in Latino Columbus."  He has served as a member of the Columbus Crew foundation, the Advisory Board of the National Association of Women Business Owners, and the Advisory Board of The Gathering.

John and his wife, Joan, have been married since 1977.  They have three sons, two of which are married.