James Parker is a Certified Master Facilitator®, workplace mediator, and an adjunct family member of Howard Community College sharing over 20 years of experience in facilitation, training, employee engagement, workplace culture, and conflict resolution. With a passion for enhancing organizational achievements through impactful interactions, he has written, developed, and delivered training in these areas for senior leadership, management, and staff. Utilizing his extensive background in the corporate, retail, hospitality, non-profit, research and development, and the Federal government sectors, Mr. Parker has produced positive and sustained results in the workplace. Through interactive engagement with the spectrum from front line workers to senior management, he leveraged the principles of respect, effective communication, and a winning workplace environment to achieve individual and organizational success.
Mr. Parker rose through the ranks at Trak Auto Corporation from Personnel Recruiter to Director of Human Resources. In this role, he developed and delivered workplace training for audiences at corporate offices, retail stores, and annual managers’ meetings across the country. During his tenure at Sodexho (formerly Marriott Management Services) he was the Lead EEO Representative and led a team responsible for mediations, fact finding and settlement conferences throughout the United States.
Mr. Parker also held the role of EEO and Diversity Officer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) where he was a subject matter expert and trainer. In addition to investigating EEO concerns, Mr. Parker worked directly with senior management to develop and implement strategies to promote and foster a lasting culture of respect, inclusion, and innovation, assuming a lead role in a number of employee groups. At RGS Incorporated, Mr. Parker was a Principal Consultant assigned to the Department of Defense contract. Currently, Mr. Parker is Chief, Affirmative Employment and Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs, at Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, and promotes employee engagement in support of mission readiness.
Mr. Parker studied Political Science at West Chester University and completed advanced workplace training at Cornell University’s Institute of Labor Relations. He is a Certified Master Facilitator through International Institute for Facilitation and a certified workplace mediator through George Mason University’s Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Additionally, Mr. Parker is a certified Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor through Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and completed the certificate program at the International Ombudsman Association. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children.
