UMass Boston

Dr. Parker has been a member of the UMass Boston community since 2005, when she arrived as an assistant professor of higher education in the department of Leadership in Education. In the intervening years she has earned promotion to full professor and served with admirable distinction in a number of leadership roles, including seven years as chair of her department and most recently as interim dean of CEHD. A skilled collaborative leader who is dedicated to promoting anti-racism and inclusive excellence in higher education, Dr. Parker brings deep insight into and a dedication to UMass Boston. She is a leader of integrity who has elevated her department and CEHD, including being “the OC” (the Original Convenor) of the Cypher at UMass Boston, while also contributing significantly to the entire campus community. Prior to joining the faculty at UMass Boston, Dr. Parker worked as a student affairs administrator and earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education from New York University, her M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Minnesota, and her B.A. in Communications from Marist College.

Dr. Parker is an accomplished scholar whose research focuses on race, equity, and success in higher education with an emphasis on the application of critical race theory to higher education, the experiences and contributions of faculty of color, and the influence of public policy on developmental education. A collaborative scholar, she is the co-author of three books, multiple peer-reviewed articles and chapters and has served as principal investigator on multiple grants and contracts from sponsors such as the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and the Lumina Foundation. Dr. Parker’s scholarship has been published in the Review of Higher Education, Teachers College Record, the Journal of College Student Development and the Community College Journal of Research and Practice. She has presented her work in Canada, China, Mexico, Thailand, and throughout the United States. Dr. Parker was awarded Honorable Mention for the 2020 Presidential Medal by the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) for her influence as a local change agent. She is active as a leader beyond UMass Boston and currently serves on the editorial board of the American Educational Research Journal, is a member of the board of directors for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and is on the governing board for Another Course to College, a pilot high school in the Boston Public Schools. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.