Alzheimer’s Association — Hawaiʻi Chapter
Former State Ambassador
MEET JERRY PERONE · HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I
A serious life.
A sense of humor.
The Sicilian Alzheimer’s Ambassador
Speaker · Author · Consultant
I’m a retired IBM executive, an author, and a storyteller. I care about what happens to people when life gets complicated—and I’ve learned to laugh when the complication is me.
New Jersey roots.
Hawai‘i home.
People at the center.
I was born in Philadelphia and raised in Hammonton, New Jersey, in a Sicilian American family. My story has taken me through engineering, executive leadership, project management, community service, and a great many conversations worth remembering.
Carol and I married in 1974. She is Jewish; I am Catholic. Our life together has taught me a great deal about curiosity, affection, and the importance of asking a few questions before walking into an unfamiliar room.
Today, Honolulu is home. I write, speak, and bring my experience to conversations about leadership, Alzheimer’s awareness, and the ways communities look after one another.
Explore my personal stories ↗WHY “THE SICILIAN ALZHEIMER’S AMBASSADOR”?
Because difficult subjects deserve a human voice.
Alzheimer’s awareness is part of my advocacy work. I want conversations about the disease to remember the people living with it, the families alongside them, and the everyday importance of dignity and connection.
“The Sicilian Alzheimer’s Ambassador” is my personal identity as a speaker and advocate. It brings together my heritage, my candor, and a cause I care about. I speak here in my own voice.
My humorous stories belong alongside that work. They let you meet the whole person: the husband, the college roommate, the young man desperate to get a job, and the executive who still has plenty to learn.
Jerry Perone
SERVICE IN HAWAIʻI & BEYOND
Community Service & Advocacy
Team Rubicon
Hawaiʻi Membership Chair & Volunteer Responder
Hawaiʻi Medical Reserve Corps
Volunteer Responder
Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset
Membership Chair
International Association of Emergency Managers
Member
A PERSONAL REFLECTION
What “We the People” Means to Me
“Well done is better than well said.”
When I look at the Constitution, I think about the country we share, the freedoms we cherish, and the generations who have helped preserve them.
Its opening words, “We the People,” have a personal meaning for me. They bring to mind families, neighbors, and communities—people whose lives become better when we look out for one another.
I believe good citizenship begins in everyday life: keeping our word, treating people with respect, lending a hand, and leaving things a little better than we found them.
That belief has guided my community service, from supporting families affected by Alzheimer’s to helping people prepare for and respond to emergencies. There is always something useful we can do, and someone who can benefit from our time and care.
For me, honoring the Constitution includes gratitude for the freedoms it protects and a commitment to use those freedoms well.
That is what I hope to bring to my writing, my service, and my life.
— Jerry Perone
COMMUNITY & SOCIAL IMPACT
Dignity. Opportunity.
Meaningful work.
Pilot program restores dignity through work
By Jerry Perone
Honolulu Star-Advertiser · Letters to the Editor
· Page A10
My letter about helping create the PROMISE employment pilot, connecting people seeking work with a local car rental business. It is a call to see the person beyond a diagnosis or homelessness—and to build opportunity through meaningful work, accountability, and belief.
The letter begins in the lower-left column and concludes near the top of the middle column, within the highlighted outline.
“I’ve spent years asking whether a plan will work. These days, I also ask what the story can help us understand.”
Jerry Perone
MY PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Experience I bring
to the conversation.
My career has centered on leadership, quality, project recovery, and helping people turn a plan into work they can deliver.
My résumé
For a detailed account of my professional background, please get in touch.
Download my résumé (PDF) ↓Request my résumé ↗Executive leadership at IBM
A career in technology and management, including senior quality and leadership responsibilities in financial services outsourcing, international work, and project work associated with the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Project management and recovery
Later executive roles at ESI International and Management Concepts, followed by consulting focused on troubled projects, organizational performance, and practical delivery.
Education and mentoring
A University of Dayton graduate with an MBA from Marist, and experience mentoring entrepreneurs through SCORE.
Writing, speaking, and service
Work spanning Alzheimer’s and dementia advocacy, disaster preparedness, community service, and stories about the people behind difficult decisions.