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Dana Marie Perino (born May 9, 1972) is the fourth person to serve as White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush, assuming the position on September 14, 2007. From March 27 to April 30, 2007 she was the Acting White House Press Secretary while her predecessor Tony Snow underwent treatment for a recurrence of colon cancer. On August 31, 2007, President Bush announced that Snow would be resigning his post and that Perino would become his replacement. She is the second woman to serve as Press Secretary. Dee Dee Myers was the first to serve as press secretary in the Clinton Administration.

[edit] Early life and career

Perino was born in Evanston, Wyoming, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. She attended Ponderosa High School in Parker, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.[1] Perino graduated from the University of Southern Colorado (now known as Colorado State University-Pueblo) in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in mass communications and minors in both political science and Spanish. While attending the university, Perino was active on the debate team and with KTSC-TV, the campus-based PBS affiliate where she served as host of Capitol Journal, a weekly summary of Colorado politics, and producer of Standoff, a weekly public affairs program. From there, Perino attended graduate school at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS). Perino obtained her masters at UIS in Public Affairs Reporting while also working as a daily reporter covering the Illinois Capitol for WCIA-TV, a CBS affiliate.

Perino then went on to work in Washington, D.C., for Representative Scott McInnis of Colorado as a staff assistant before serving nearly four years as the press secretary for Rep. Dan Schaefer (R-CO-Retired), who then chaired a House Commerce subcommittee on Energy and Power.

After Representative Schaefer announced his retirement, Perino moved to England to marry businessman Peter McMahon [1]. After a year in England, Perino and McMahon moved back to the United States and resided in San Diego, California, for three years. During that time, Perino worked in the field of high-tech public affairs.

In November 2001, Perino returned to Washington, D.C. to serve as a spokesperson for the Department of Justice. Several months later, she was asked to join the White House where she served as the Director of Communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). By statute, the CEQ oversees the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, where all federal agencies must complete environmental assessments on their activities before they take action.

[edit] Deputy Press Secretary and Acting Press Secretary
Dana Perino, George W. Bush and Tony Snow.
Dana Perino, George W. Bush and Tony Snow.

On March 31, 2006, President George W. Bush named Perino as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary. In the role, Perino communicated many times a day with the President's director of communications, his press secretary and his director of media affairs, handling all environment-related media calls for the White House, as well as serving as the spokesperson for the White House on environmental issues. In addition, she served as the coordinator for all agencies on environment, energy and natural resource issues, as well as reviewing and approving the agencies' major announcements, while keeping the other White House offices apprised of CEQ actions.

From March 27 to April 30, 2007, Perino served as Acting Press Secretary for the White House and ran press briefings while Press Secretary Tony Snow underwent treatment for colon cancer that spread to his liver.

Dana Perino is a 1994 graduate of the University of Southern Colorado -- now known as Colorado State University-Pueblo.

CBS

(AP) WASHINGTON Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino said her boss is anxious to return to work at the White House, if he can, following a recurrence of his cancer.

But for now, the 34-year-old former Colorado resident is handling Tony Snow's duties, including the White House press briefings.

Perino is a 1994 graduate of the University of Southern Colorado -- now known as Colorado State University-Pueblo.

She's a former Department of Justice spokeswoman, who previously served as press secretary for ex-Colorado Congressman Dan Schaefer, and staff assistant for Representative Scott McInnis.

Meantime, doctors said it's not unusual that the cancer Snow successfully fought two years ago has spread to his liver and elsewhere.

The 51-year-old Snow could face months of chemotherapy.