Parker grounds his personal and professional life in restorative values, including love, respect, compassion, dignity, honesty, openness, and growth. Parker discovered these values through his incarceration experience. After more than 20 years of an indeterminate sentence, from age 15 to age 36, Parker celebrated his homecoming in February 2022.

Parker entered prison without a high school diploma. During his incarceration, he completed a Bachelor of Specialized Studies in Psychology and Sociology through Ohio University, graduating magna cum laude. He is a charter member of OU’s Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society. Combining his love for education with his passion for community, Parker completed a Master of Social Work, with an emphasis in Mental Health and Trauma, through the University of Denver in March 2024. Having completed the Offender Mentor Certification Program (OMCP) at Valley State Prison in 2017, Parker is a Substance Use Disorder Certified Counselor IV-Clinical Supervisor through CADTP with more than seven years of experience in addiction treatment and trauma-informed care. 

Parker was instrumental in developing several innovative programs within CDCR, including VSP’s Youth Offender Program, ReEvolution’s Junior Mentor Program, and Victims & Offenders—Healing Others’ Pain through Empathy (V/O HOPE). With four other incarcerated counselors, Parker created CDCR’s mentor training program, Effective Mentorship and Group Facilitation. Most importantly, Parker walked alongside countless others who, like him, were striving for healing, accountability, and growth. He is grateful to leverage this experience in continued community with such individuals today, focusing on improving living conditions and reentry support, sentencing reform, and greater access to quality rehabilitation.