Steve Peru was appointed the role of County Manager and began his tenure on April 5, 2021. Originally from Morenci, Arizona, Steve attended Eastern Arizona College before moving to Flagstaff to attend Northern Arizona University. Upon graduation with a degree in Applied Sociology, he was hired at Coconino County in 1979 where he worked for 32 years. This long and storied career at the County including roles such as Community Services Coordinator, Career Center Director, Public Fiduciary, Assistant to the County Manager, Elections Director, and Deputy County Manager, eventually leading him to become the County Manager in 2006. He held this role until 2011 when he took a 10-year hiatus from local government and went on to enjoy leadership positions at local nonprofit, for-profit, and educational institutions, including as the CEO of the United Way of Northern Arizona and the Chief External Affairs Officer/Executive Director for the Coconino Community College Foundation before returning to Coconino County in 2021 in the role of County Manager. In addition to the BS in Sociology, Steve also holds a Master’s in Public Administration from NAU and has completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University – Kennedy School of Government.