Alisa Parker, managing attorney at the Legal Service of South Central Michigan Battle Creek office, will speak at The University of Olivet Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 1:30 p.m. in Mott Auditorium. Her presentation will be on the topic of “Looking Back and Beyond: The Unfinished Work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” The event, featured as part of the College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming, is free and open to the public.
Parker’s passion for community and advocacy is clearly reflected in the work she does on a daily basis. She is especially driven by doing the work of racial justice and is passionate about finding collaborative ways to do the work of dismantling systemic racism. Parker also has a goal to help others access resources, navigate systems and overall see meaningful change and improvement in their daily lives.
Parker’s work was inspired by attending the W.K. Kellogg Foundations Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Summit in December 2016. In 2017, she was selected as a member of the Shriver Center’s 2017 Racial Justice Training Institute Cohort and to be a part of the TRHT Michigan Statewide Advisory committee.
In addition to her professional role as managing attorney, Parker started ANP Creatives Consulting with her youngest sister, Nicole Parker, in 2016. ANP Creatives Consulting is a social innovation consulting firm that empowers clients to be agents of social impact, working to create innovative social impact in business, politics, community and individuals.
As Parker and her sister navigated their own business journey, the statistic that black women are the fastest growing entrepreneur group, yet the least funded and supported, became a startling reality of their client base. Turning inward to their other sisters and fellow entrepreneurs, Tiffany and Teleshia Parker, they started the Sisters in Business initiative in Michigan in December 2017. The mission of Sisters in Business is to create a space for women of color to connect, collaborate and build community to sustain, grow and maximize their vision.
Parker earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and English from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee in 2003. Parker is also a 2006 graduate of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and was admitted into the State Bar of Michigan in 2007. In 2011, Parker received her Master of Business Administration from Western Michigan University with a concentration in management.
Parker is also passionate about giving back to the local community that has helped her succeed. She currently serves as a volunteer or member of several organizations, including the Judge Charles A. Pratt Bar Association, Black Arts and Cultural Center, Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan, Charlie’s P.L.A.C.E, and State Bar of Michigan Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.
For more information about the College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming, contact Shawn Hagadon, executive assistant to the vice president and dean for student life, at shagadon@uolivet.edu or 269.749.7607.