Lasting change isn't imposed. It's earned through trust, clear expectations, decisive action, and a genuine commitment to the people who carry the mission forward.
Explore the impact ↓What others say ↓
Perry Plummer has been called upon to guide public safety organizations through leadership transitions, build high-performing teams, improve labor-management relationships, and deliver complex statewide initiatives. His approach is practical: listen carefully, treat people with dignity, confront challenges early, make decisions, and follow through, achieving unmatched results in service of the mission.
Be present. Invite honest feedback. Listen to people closest to the work—and make sure they know they have been heard.
Bring labor and management to the same table. Establish common priorities, expectations and a mission everyone can support.
Move from conversation to action. Strengthen accountability, develop future leaders, and leave systems better than you found them.
Across municipal fire departments, state agencies and major emergency operations, the common thread is stronger teams, clearer direction and durable results.
Improved labor-management communication, expanded daily staffing, strengthened officer development, advanced training facilities and supported long-term operational improvements. These accomplishments are described in a written endorsement from the Dover Fire Officers union president.
At New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management, leadership centered on relationships, employee engagement and service to communities. A former senior colleague reports a record 98% customer satisfaction survey result.
Chaired the Governor’s School Safety Preparedness Task Force and helped translate complex security and preparedness needs into actionable recommendations and public-facing implementation efforts.
Returned to state service to coordinate New Hampshire’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort, including mass-vaccination operations and partnerships with healthcare, local responders and the National Guard.
Organizational change is rarely easy. Leaders can sometimes achieve impressive operational results while struggling to maintain employee morale. Others may build strong employee relationships without delivering the improvements an organization needs. The greater challenge is accomplishing both.
Throughout my career, I have believed that lasting organizational success comes from bringing these priorities together—setting high expectations, delivering measurable results, treating people with respect, and ensuring employees have a meaningful voice in the process.
Collaboration, however, should never be confused with indecision. Effective leadership also requires the courage to confront difficult issues, make tough decisions, establish clear expectations, and hold people accountable. I believe in listening carefully, encouraging different perspectives, and building consensus whenever possible. But I also recognize that leadership sometimes requires making difficult decisions in the best interests of the organization and the people it serves. The strongest leaders combine the willingness to listen with the confidence to act, the courage to make difficult decisions, and the commitment to treat people fairly throughout the process.
Perhaps the most meaningful measure of my leadership is not what I say about my accomplishments, but what others have said about our work together. The testimonials that follow reflect the perspectives of city managers, senior executives, fire chiefs, union presidents, and frontline employees. Their words suggest that meaningful organizational improvement and a positive, engaged workforce are not competing goals. With the right approach, they can—and should—go hand in hand.
I am particularly proud that these reflections come from people with different responsibilities, expectations, and perspectives, yet share a common theme: stronger organizations, stronger relationships, and better results for the people we serve.
These excerpts come from personal letters, professional testimonials and published statements. Workplace testimonials are generally identified by role rather than department, keeping the focus on leadership rather than past organizational difficulties.
He is an absolute genius at getting stuff done.
Governor Chris SununuPublic remarks, December 2020Read public source ↗Our state is healthier and safer because of Perry’s service.
U.S. Senator Maggie HassanOfficial statement, June 2020Read public source ↗Perry is a top-notch professional who leaves every organization better than he found it.
You created an environment where people felt supported, respected, and encouraged to succeed.
A senior fire-service colleaguePersonal letter, January 2026It was a privilege to serve under your leadership.
A fire officers’ union presidentWritten testimonial, September 2026You consistently aligned competing priorities toward a shared vision.
A public safety executiveWritten recommendation, September 2026I continue to draw on what I learned from him in my role as Fire Chief.
A fire chief and former colleagueWritten testimonialWe did not always walk away agreeing with one another, but there was mutual respect.
A former union presidentWritten testimonialYour presence will be deeply missed, but your legacy will continue through the many lives you’ve touched.
A fire-service colleaguePersonal letter, January 2026Thanks for bringing joy back to the Fire Department!
Anonymous firefighterPersonal recollection — attribution not independently documentedPerry gets more done in a week than most people get done in months.
Fire service colleague · Quote supplied for websitePerry finds ways to get things done that others can’t through innovation, creative thinking and hard work. “Can’t” does not seem to be in his vocabulary.
Colleague · Quote supplied for websiteSelected statements are excerpted from letters, public remarks, and colleague recollections.
Perry served as vice chair of the National Governors Association Governors Homeland Security Advisors Council and as U.S. co-chair of the International Emergency Management Group, collaborating across state and international borders on preparedness and response.
National Governors Association ↗International Emergency Management Group ↗
Real archival photographs and broadcast screenshots from Perry’s personal media collection. Select any image to enlarge.
Testimonials are drawn from letters provided by colleagues, union representatives and public safety leaders, including letters from Craig Lemire, Matt Michaud, Seth Wentworth, Dave Vail, Pat Moynihan, Michael Joyal and others. The 98% result is reported by a former senior HSEM colleague. Public statements are linked above. Senator Jeanne Shaheen's work with Perry is documented in NHPR's 2021 reporting; no personal endorsement is attributed to her here.