Dr. Parker is responsible for developing and guiding the research agenda concerning education policy issues. This includes researching, analyzing and summarizing educational issues at the state and federal level, and advising the center’s CEO and executive director regarding important findings that may impact educational outcomes for Arizona’s students.

She is staff director of the center’s Pathways to Postsecondary initiative and also directs much of the center’s day-to-day research, fact-finding and informational organization. She also oversees the work of the center’s graduate research assistants.

In addition, Dr. Parker serves as a liaison with the community, providing information of interest to individuals and organizations involved in Arizona’s key education issues.

Dr. Parker co-authored two of the center’s research reports, “Bridging the Grad Gap: The Economic Consequences of Arizona’s High School Dropout Population” and “Everybody’s Problem: A Closer Look at Arizona’s High School Graduation Rate.” Other notable contributions include developing models and statewide goals for increasing Arizona’s high school graduation rate.

Prior to assuming her current position in August 2005, she taught an upper-division social psychology course at Arizona State University and was a consultant to the Center for the Future of Arizona.

Dr. Parker holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in social psychology from Arizona State University. During her graduate career at ASU, she was a recipient of the prestigious Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship for Minorities.

She and her husband David Lundberg-Kenrick have two children, Finian and Greta.