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Like the careers of so many Ivy League student-athletes, that of Suzanne Perles combines both academics and sports. A 1975 graduate of Princeton who earned an M.B.A. from Harvard in 1977, Perles was one of the three Ivy women athletes to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in December of 1976. Women were first eligible in that year to compete for the prestigious Rhodes honor, bestowed since 1902 -- to men only -- on the basis of intellectual attainment, character, leadership, and physical vigor. Among the 32 American winners for 1976 -- 13 of whom were women -- were Perles and six other Ivy women (Laura Garwin, Allison Muscatine, and Denise Thal of Radcliffe, and Diane Coutu, Sarah Deutsch, and Sue Halpern of Yale). Muscatine and Thal also were athletes, playing both basketball and tennis at Radcliffe, and Muscatine and Perles were roommates during their time in England.
A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Perles was acclaimed while an undergraduate for her academic and athletic achievements. She graduated with honors in economics, played four years of field hockey, and was team captain as a senior; she also was a resident advisor and a member of the Student Volunteers Council.
After earning a D.Phil. from Oxford on her scholarship, Perles worked in Los Angeles in management consulting for such companies as McKinsey & Company and Citicorp, until launching her own corporate advisory firm with a partner. During that time, Perles, who had skated competitively before entering Princeton, returned to speed skating, winning the North American Speed Skating Championships in 1990 and 1992. She also served on the board of the Southern California Speed Skating Association and raised funds to subsidize the cost of ice time and equipment for children living in low-income neighborhoods. Perles viewed that work as especially important in the wake of the Los Angeles riots in 1992, explaining that “many of the same social problems that caused the unrest have caused the deterioration of the neighborhoods that our children live in. There aren’t very many places for children to play in Los Angeles. And sports teaches children about pride, hard work, and fun.” Perles also worked with the Rebuild Los Angeles organization that encouraged local businesses to create jobs and urged large firms to do business with minority contractors.
Selected as a Princeton trustee in 1997, Perles currently is chief operating officer of Anchor Studio, a leader in professional quality portable sound systems, and was involved with fellow Princetonian Bill Bradley’s presidential campaign.
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