The Stunning Career Transformation Of Dana Perino
Lifestyle News
By KRISTEEN CHERNEY
Born In Wyoming
Dana Perino was born in 1972 in Evanston, Wyoming. The Perinos moved to Parker, Colorado, soon after, but they frequently returned to her birthplace to visit family.
Perino lived her adult life in cities but is still in touch with her rural roots. She fondly remembers her grandfather telling her this is the most beautiful country in the world.
Early Ambition
Perino's parents nurtured her passion for journalism; she and her father would read news articles and discuss differing opinions on the day's themes.
"I found it exciting and became a nerd for news," Perino later told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "When watching news anchors, I would think to myself, 'I want to do that.'"
She also had ambitions to work in the White House, inspired by a family trip to the presidential residence just after first grade. Her dream would come true almost 30 years later.
Scholarship
Per the San Diego Union-Tribune, Perino earned a scholarship that paved the way for her to attend college, all thanks to national debate and speech team victories.
Perino earned a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications from Colorado State University-Pueblo and a master's degree in public affairs from the University of Illinois Springfield.
While at university in Pueblo, Perino was a reporter and anchor for their PBS affiliate. She later said that her time at the school had shaped her professionally and personally.
Airplane Romance
Destiny was at work when the young journalist was assigned the seat next to businessman Peter McMahon on a flight from Denver to Chicago during the summer of 1997.
The couple got married in 1998. McMahon is British, and they lived in the U.K. for about a year before moving back to the U.S., where they settled briefly in San Diego, California.
White House
Soon after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Perino was called back to Washington, D.C., to work with the George W. Bush administration.
Perino became Deputy Press Secretary following stints as special assistant to President Bush, press spokesperson, and Associate Director of Communications for various departments.