NCCOS Staff

The NOAA RESTORE Science Program is an applied ecosystem sciences program focused on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a cross-NOAA program administratively housed in NCCOS. Parker manages coordination, planning, and implementation efforts for the Science Program, including funding competitions, and ensures program findings and tools are used to support resource management and sustainability for the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

Parker has served in several NOAA positions, including special assistant to the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) as a Knauss Marine Policy fellow; an ecologist in OAR’s Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation; the program coordination officer for research for NOAA’s Under Secretary; headquarters liaison for the NOAA Chief Scientist during the Deepwater Horizon environmental disaster; and National Coordinator for NOAA’s eight Regional Teams (collectively, the Regional Collaboration Network).

Parker holds a B.A. and M.S. in biology from Florida International University and did advanced graduate work at the College of William and Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science.