Mamie A. Parker

Biologist Mamie A. Parker was born on October 14, 1957 in Wilmot, Arkansas to Cora Parker and John Metcalf. She received her B.S. degree in biology in 1980 from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and her M.S. degree in fish and wildlife management and her Ph.D. degree in limnology in 1987 from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Parker began her career with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 1977. After working at field stations and regional offices in Wisconsin and Missouri, she was named regional environmental and ecosystem coordinator in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Parker subsequently was appointed deputy chief of fisheries in Atlanta, Georgia and then opened the first FWS office in Arkansas. Afterwards, she was appointed special assistant to the director of FWS in Washington, D.C. before she was stationed in Hadley, Massachusetts as northeast regional director of the FWS, becoming the first African American to hold the title. In 2003, after serving as chief of staff for the FWS, Parker was named head of fisheries and assistant director of habitat conservation, helping manage a budget of over $250 million and over 2,400 employees. Parker retired from the FWS in 2007 to found M.A. Parker & Associates, where she worked as an executive coach, motivational speaker, and mentor. In 2019, she became principal consultant for EcoLogix Group, an environmental consulting firm. Parker’s clients have included the Bureau of Land Management, Ducks Unlimited, National Conservation Leadership Institute, and the state of Maryland.

Parker advocated for the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act, is an expert on federal water resource development planning, invasive species protection, environmental contaminants coordination, marine mammal conservation, national wetland inventory, and coastal barrier mapping. She was one of the authors of The Future of Fisheries, published by the American Fisheries Society.

Parker served as chair of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Commission and the Student Conservation Association and as a director of the Brown Advisory Sustainable Investment Board, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, The Nature Conservancy-Virginia Chapter, Marstel-Day Consulting, the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, the National Wildlife Federation, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, the Chesapeake Conservancy, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Diverse Environmental Leaders.

Parker received the 2020 Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies John L. Morris Lifetime Achievement Award, the William P. Reilly Environmental Leadership Award from the American University School of Public Affairs’ Center for Environmental Policy, the Emmeline Moore Prize from the American Fisheries Society, the Champions of the Chesapeake Award from the Chesapeake Conservancy; and the Presidential Rank Award from President Barack Obama for helping create the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, the highest honor bestowed upon federal employees. She is a member of the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Hall of Fame.

Parker lives in Dulles, Virginia with her husband, Pierre Biheezi.

Mamie Parker was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 25, 2022.