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 Gracie Perez is known for her friendly personality and helpful
nature. Those qualities earned her kudos when she was named Staff Employee of the Second Quarter for 2003 by the Staff Forum Aug. 29. A Baylor College of Dentistry employee for nearly 16 years, Perez is an
administrative projects coordinator in the Office of Clinical Services.
Perez and her husband, Luis, have been married 18 years. They have two sons: Luis Jr., 17; and Jesse, 15.
Hometown: Dallas
Place I'd like to live/retire: I would like to retire in a small town in Mexico.
Role models: I actually had two role models: one was my dad, who I lost a couple of years ago; the other was my grandmother, who died last July. They both taught me to
believe in myself and to always do good for others.
Personal motto: Live today as if it was your last, and always remember to say "I love you" to those you love.
Best thing about my job or BCD: I enjoy working with the students, faculty and staff on different projects and tasks.
Career highlight: The highlight would be the opportunity to work with so many talented faculty, staff and students.
If I wasn't at BCD, I'd …: be back in school.
Life philosophy: Enjoy your family and friends, because you will not have them forever.
Pet peeve: I hate getting calls from some advertising agency trying to sell you something in the evenings. It seems to happen just as I am about to sit down to watch a favorite movie or show.
Favorite vacation destination: I loved the time we spent vacationing together as a family in Denver, Colo. It brought back memories of what it used to be like to have my
kids act like children instead of teenagers.
Dream car: I finally got it – my Expedition!
Favorite hobby: If you call coming and going from soccer games with my boys a hobby, then that is my hobby. It seems that I do this on a daily basis.
Word that best describes me: Friendly.
Something you might not know about me: I attend St. Augustine Catholic Church.
Top three passions: My family, my home and my job.
What my colleagues say about me: "Gracie has been the axle around which our American Heart Association Training Center has turned since our first affiliation with the AHA," said Dr. Roger Alexander,
professor and director of undergraduate surgery training and clinics in oral and maxillofacial surgery/pharmacology. "Because she has carried the administrative burdens for the BCD CPR programs, I have been able to
manage the responsibilities of running the training center as a 'sideline' with minimal time encroachment.
"I would have suffered horrible bureaucratic demise without her expert assistance," Alexander continued. "Gracie also has been instrumental in keeping chaos at bay as I
coordinate assignments for six different student rotations annually. How she manages to keep all of the rotations straight for more than 350 students a year is beyond my comprehension. She's a pearl!"
"We call Gracie 'Wonder Woman!'" said Linda Boyd, patient records coordinator in clinical services. "It's simply amazing the amount of things she can accomplish in the
course of a day. She is always very busy, but she always has time for anyone who requires her assistance. I don't know what we would do without her!"
Dr. Gary Coleman, associate professor and director of oral diagnosis in diagnostic sciences, said: "If I really need to have something involving patient care done, I ask
Gracie to do it. If I really need to have something involving patient care done right, I ask Gracie to do it. If I really need to have something involving patient care done right by a person with a smile on her face, I ask Gracie to do it.
"And," Coleman added, "if I really want the best homemade tamales, I talk to Gracie."
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