Mr. Dennis Parker brings a rich and diverse perspective to the issues of building the capacity of low-income individuals, families and communities. This wealth of experience encompasses more than 20 years working directly with low income children many lacking the critical component of a strong father figure. Mr. Parker has worked with a variety of programs that have attempted to bridge the gap for fatherless children but each program has had less than desirable results. Currently, Mr. Parker works with 18-22 year old young men and women along with many other areas he explains the importance of becoming stable and supportive parents with proper human capital resources to aptly raise children.
Additionally Mr. Parker has more than 10 years of concurrent experience in policy development including local, state and federal government. It is from his earliest experience in the administration of public education programs that he began to understand the challenges facing front line community capacity and structural builders. As a co-developer of a “Family Fun Night” 1993-1995, a voluntary collaboration between the urban branch of the YMCA of Greater Richmond, Richmond Public Schools, Richmond Public Housing Programs, and Richmond Public Safety officials, he worked with at risk youth in the community, to develop individualistic community-based approaches to addressing challenges of inner city youth. This program is where the elements of his vision for an integrated social policy model was formed. In addition federal, state, and local resources should be brought through the vision of every community. This approach to community problem solving provides the focal point to Mr. Parker’s public policy perspective.
From 1997-1999, Mr. Parker served as lead policy analyst to the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services. This work was completed during the very exciting and early stages of Virginia’s Welfare Reform, which took place two years prior to national implementation. This allowed Mr. Parker to gain the necessary knowledge to bridge the front line experience in community issues with the governmental apparatus that provided the means to address issues of poverty. This experience presented glaring confirmations of the perceived disconnect and dysfunctional methodologies of the human services administrative construct, both Virginia’s and the nation’s. The 51 programs administered within the Department of Social Services had no relation to each other, operated independent of one another and allowed relatively low-levels of flexibility to the community for addressing needs. In 1999 Mr. Parker also partnered with two dynamic individuals to form H.O.P.E. a full service human service delivery corporation primarily focusing on youth empowerment, development, and maintenance of solid family structures. H.O.P.E. attempt to keep the children in the home of the parents and provide both parents with resources required to become more effective guardians.
Mr. Parker was a consultant to the Federal Office of Community Services from 2001 to 2005. Over that time he worked to create and develop 21st Century approaches to addressing poverty in America, approaches that focus on the individual, family and the community and allow resources to follow the visions that are created at a local level; instead of ivory tower perspectives, which force communities to chase resources. Also while a consultant with the Federal Government, Mr. Parker lead collaboration with nationally recognized ministries and theologians to provide a 40 year update to the “Moynihan Report”, written in 1965 by Daniel Moynihan.
Mr. Parker holds a B.A. in Political Science from Virginia Union University, a Master’s of Arts in Economics from Virginia State University, and has completed his course work, and currently writing his dissertation which focuses on social policy and integration of governmental and private resources towards addressing the issue of poverty. He is completing his Doctorate in Public Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Virginia.
Today Mr. Parker continues to design, develop, and implement community based visions and solutions to aid individual’s, families, and communities across America. A list of some of the projects and partners that Mr. Parker has either consulted on or aided with are below:
- National Office of the National Urban League New York, New York
- Bishop Eddie L. Long and New Birth Ministries, Atlanta Georgia
- National Community Reinvestment Association, Washington DC
- National Community Action Partnership, Washington DC
- The Ford Foundation, New York, New York
- American Public Human Services Association, Washington DC
- The Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, Ann Arbor Michigan
- Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, Houston Texas
- Topline Technologies, Richmond Virginia
