About William Parker
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., William H. Parker excelled both in the classroom and on the field as an honor student and three-sport athlete at Ballou Senior High School. Mr. Parker’s talent and dedication earned him a four-year basketball scholarship to Virginia Union University in Richmond, where he studied Elementary Education from 1971 to 1975. After graduation, he began his career at Henderson Middle School, teaching social studies for ten years before pursuing a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision at Virginia Commonwealth University, which he completed in 1984.
William Parker’s leadership journey in education began as an assistant principal at Henderson Middle, Henrico High, and Highland Springs High School. In 1995, he was appointed principal of Virginia Randolph Community High School and later became principal of Henrico High School in 2002. Under his leadership, Henrico High earned full accreditation in his very first year as principal. Mr. Parker’s success was widely recognized—he was named Instructional Leader of the Year for Henrico County Public Schools and for the Richmond Area Black School Administrators in 2003, awarded the REB Instructional Leader of the Year in 2006, and honored as Virginia’s High School Principal of the Year in 2007.
Beyond the principalship, Mr. Parker also shared his knowledge as an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, teaching aspiring administrators, and consulting with school systems across the region. After retiring from Virginia Public Schools in 2007, he continued shaping education as a principal coach in Chesterfield County and later as Executive Director of Secondary Education and Career and Technical Education in Mooresville, North Carolina. During his time there, the district rose from 38th to 2nd in the state for academic performance, while the African American graduation rate soared from 60 percent to 95 percent by 2012.
Returning to Virginia, he worked with the Virginia Department of Education, Richmond Public Schools, and Henrico County Public Schools as an external lead partner and principal coach. He also served as Vice President of Community Development for ChallengeU, a dropout recovery program helping students earn their high school diplomas through digital learning. More recently, he guided Greensville County High School to full accreditation as their principal coach.
Alongside Mr. Parker’s professional achievements, he has always been deeply committed to service. He was a Big Brother in the Richmond Big Brothers and Sisters Program for more than a decade, is a long-standing member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the NAACP, and serves as a deacon at St. Paul Baptist Church in Richmond. He is also an active member of the John Barco Alumni Association at Virginia Union University.
William Parker and his wife, Pamela Crews Parker, share two sons, William and Justin.
