Dr. Jasmine Parker
Contact: Cherie Yurco; cmyurco@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Nov. 17, 2021
(DALLAS) — Dr. Jasmine Parker, a visionary strategist who has designed and executed organizational diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at various institutions of higher education, has been named Dallas College’s new senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Through published works and speaking engagements, Dr. Parker has contributed to the national conversation on community, belonging, equity and leadership, but she is no stranger to Dallas. Dr. Parker grew up in Oak Cliff, attending Dallas public schools and taking enrichment classes at Cedar Valley and Mountain View campuses during her formative years. While studying for her bachelor’s degree in history at Prairie View A&M University, she returned to the Mountain View Campus during the summer to earn 12 credit hours.
Dr. Parker earned a doctorate in education policy, organization and leadership with emphasis in the history of education and a Master of Arts in education policy with focus in constitutional law from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed legal education and training at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington.
Immediately prior to joining Dallas College, Dr. Parker was director of diversity and inclusion for the Berklee College institutional system in Boston. She is pleased to bring the talents and expertise that she has honed in multiple regions across the country back to her local community. “I’m really engrossed in the community dynamics,” she said. “Everything I’ve done to date has been about how to improve the communities in which I was raised and that have given so much to me.”
When it comes to her mission of leading Dallas College’s social responsibility, diversity, equity and inclusion area initiatives and priorities, Dr. Parker sees multiple opportunities ahead for the campuses and their surrounding communities. “I am an advocate for community space building, in which all people not simply feel like they belong but know that they belong, are valued, acknowledged, appreciated and honored, and know that their viewpoints matter,” she said.
As one of her first collegewide initiatives, Dr. Parker is organizing a December panel discussion to honor National Human Rights Month. The event will discuss various issues related to social justice, environmental oppression, injustice and environmental racism through a lens of ensuring basic needs are met. Additional details will be posted on the Dallas College Diversity, Equity and Inclusion webpage (dallascollege.edu/DEI) next week.
“We are excited to have a new senior director for diversity, equity and inclusion who brings a wealth of expertise, is a Dallas native and who has already been part of the Dallas College family,” said Marisol Romany, Dallas College chief social responsibility and inclusion officer. “Jasmine’s background and familiarity with Dallas College will enable us to better serve one another and our community by working with diverse groups, businesses, employers and industry partners that represent, advance and support DEI initiatives.”
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