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by Morgan Feddes, '10
When Kevin Parker entered Whitworth, he was already set apart from his classmates: "I had one of the lowest GPAs ever admitted to Whitworth – possibly the lowest," Parker says. "I came in as a freshman on academic probation."
Parker dug in and made the most of the opportunity Whitworth offered. By his senior year, he was working as a student assistant in the president's and development offices. After graduating with a degree in political science, Parker became the area director of Young Life in Littleton, Colo., a position he held for five years; he was one of the youngest Young Life area directors in the country at the time. When the Columbine High School shootings occurred in Littleton in 1999, Parker's initial reaction was to contact a former Whitworth mentor.
"My first call was to [Whitworth Dean of Spiritual Life] Terry McGonigal to get some perspective," Parker says. Parker shared a message of hope that arises out of tragic circumstances in lectures that he gave around the world at various colleges and universities, as well as at Young Life fund-raising events. Parker left Young Life to earn an MBA from George Fox University, in Newberg, Ore., and went on to earn a 21st-century leadership certificate from the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard.
Parker has invested in real estate since his twenties and he launched Parker and Associates, a successful financial-services business, when he was 26. Today he is active in both business and politics. He is president of GTG Ventures, which owns the Dutch Brothers coffee franchise in Spokane, currently in three locations. Parker also worked on the staff of former Oregon Rep. Denny Smith and is now running for the Washington State House of Representatives for the 6th District of Spokane. (Ed. note: He won!)
In addition to meeting his wife, Kerry (Hultz, '95), at Whitworth, Parker credits the university with giving him a strong base for his career. "Whitworth and my relationship with various professors and faculty laid a foundation that has been instrumental in my studies at the graduate level, as well as in my experiences in the private, nonprofit and political sectors," Parker says.
Whitworth encourages students to give their lives in service; Parker has taken this charge to heart in his political campaign. "This is one area where I desire to serve and give back to the community," he says.
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