UAPB alumna to chair board
The Student Conservation Association board of directors unanimously elected Mamie Parker as its new chairman.
Parker is a pioneer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and an alumna of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
SCA of Arlington, Va., is America’s oldest and largest youth conservation organization, according to a news release. She was elected chair at the board’s annual meeting March 25.
A native of Wilmot (Ashley County), Parker earned a bachelor of science degree in biology at UAPB in 1980. Later, she earned a master of science degree in fish and wildlife management and a doctoral degree in limnology from the University of Wisconsin, according to https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/.
At USFWS, Parker’s career spanned nearly three decades. She was the first African American to serve as regional director with the agency before rising to the level of assistant director. Since retiring from the USFWS in 2007, Parker has remained active as an environmental consultant,
executive coach, and nonprofit trustee, according to the release.
“SCA conserves lives and transforms lands by co-powering young people of all backgrounds to plan, act, and lead, while they protect and restore our natural and cultural resources. Founded in 1957, SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders, and seven in 10 of alumni worldwide are employed or studying in conservation-related fields,” according to the release.
Parker succeeds previous SCA Chair Kathy Bonavist, who was voted to a second three-year term to the board, as was director Don Winsett in a virtual session. SCA’s board also approved the appointment of eight new directors.
New directors include Deanna Archuleta, senior director for federal relations, ExxonMobil, Albuquerque, N.M.; Ethel Branch, partner, Kanji and Katzen, LLC, Flagstaff/Window Rock, Ariz.; Gail A. Carmody, Panama City, Fla.; Steve Howell, chief operating officer, Best Friends Animal Society, Arlington, Va.; Natalie Mebane, associate director of United States Policy, 350.org, Silver Spring, Md. (alumni seat); Andrew Sutherland, entrepreneur, San Francisco, Calif.; Bob Vogel, Fernandina Beach, Fla.; Anna Wadhams, consultant; chair, SCA Alumni Council, Ann Arbor, Mich. (alumni seat).
“SCA is delighted to welcome these accomplished individuals to the board,” Parker said. “Together, we will continue to advance the legacy of SCA Founder Liz Putnam and the cause of youth stewardship in every corner of our nation.”