Dr. Holly Peirce is currently the Associate Director of Outreach and Communications at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. Holly is a State Department Senior Foreign Service Officer (FSO) with the rank of Counselor (07). She recently graduated with distinction from the US Naval War College. Before that, she served as the NORAD and USNORTHCOM J5 Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD). In addition to covering security assistance for Mexico and The Bahamas, she was the lead POLAD for Arctic Security and is a Joint Staff trained Gender Advisor (GENAD). She assisted with developing and socializing the first USNORTHCOM Concept of Operations to provide gender advisory support to Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) in support of the historic evacuation of Afghan allies and deployed to Task Force Liberty.

She was most recently posted overseas to the US Embassy in San Salvador as the Management Counselor and served as the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM). Her management team had the highest service scores in the Western Hemisphere Bureau (WHA). Other diplomatic assignments include tours in International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), General Services, Career Development, Foreign Assistance, Program Analysis, Public Affairs, and Consular Affairs in Cyprus, Cuba, Mexico, Washington, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados.

Before joining the US Foreign Service, Holly was a Transnational Issues Analyst at the USSOUTHCOM in Miami and a Small Business Peace Corp Volunteer in Bolivia. She speaks Spanish. Holly holds a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies and Economics from Colby College, a master's degree in Economic Development and Interamerican Studies from the University of Miami and a PhD in International Relations from the University of Miami. She completed a USNORTHCOM sponsored E-Cornell certificate in Gender/Women’s Leadership. She also completed Arctic Security and Competition graduate courses from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

She is married to Dr. Sean Pratt and has a son attending James Madison University. She is a certified yoga instructor and enjoys travel, skiing, and standup paddle boarding (SUP).