My Specialities

Consulting

My specialty is to enter complex situations in which the solutions are not obvious, often due to differing backgrounds and perspectives, and to find or construct bridging strategies.

Human Rights Campaign & Maryland Same Sex Marriage Referendum

“I Love My Child:” Writing a state-wide campaign to reach critical African American voters.

In response to an urgent request, I rewrote the campaign, rationale and commercial scripts, for “I Love My Child.” targeting Black women and men as part of successful Maryland state referendum for same sex marriage. Part of $1M campaign. “I Love My Child” is credited with contributing to the successful vote to legalize same sex marriage in the state.

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Race, Social Class and Professional Golf

After two decades, where are all the young minority professional golfers who should have followed? What factors are keeping talented minority golfers out of the pros?

A project created and co-moderated with ESPN commentator Scott Van Pelt, who wanted to explore the racial impact of Tiger Woods two decades later. We worked together to examine the literature, plan a public program and invite journalists, professional and aspiring athletes, PGA and LPGA industry officials, sports sociologists and authors to delve into issues and obstacles of race and social class in professional golf. Outcome: The PGA discovered that its youth development programming stopped before most young golfers reached puberty, when their skills “jumped.” Attendees from Florida to New York thanked us for moving the discussion far forward.
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Investigations and White Papers

Linking scholarship and real world applications for working strategies.

Providing organizations and companies with deep dives beyond the skills or time of their staffs. For GLAAD, I led a team that produced qualitative research and a whitepaper used to select national youth spokesperson. In another project, I was identified as an “Luminary, providing proprietary research to an advertising company on women’s attitudes used for a national advertising campaign linking women, concern for their families’ health and paper goods.

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Community engagement

Working with large, elite institutions, scholars and communities to engage meaningfully and equitably.

The assumptions, attitudes and customs of institutions and communities are different and often buffeted by considerations of race, social class, power and resources. I have worked with organizations such as the National Science Foundation, Texas Christian University and the University of Arizona on strategies of mutual trust, respect and effective action. It is common for the work to be multi-day combinations of a speech, community workshops and internal discussions.

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The Challenges of Interdisciplinarity

Overcoming the silos of ways of thinking and doing, arriving at strategies that work in the outside world.

Departments and divisions are good ways to organize people but not so good at solving challenges, that often lie at the seams. Deeply entrenched differences are not easily identified or overcome. I have facilitated conversations and strategies for divisions, centers and institutions so that they can work together. Universities include the University of Toronto, the University of Minnesota and the University of Maryland Brain and Behavior Initiative. I was the founding director of the UMD Center for Synergy and am co-founder of The Space for Creative Black Imagination, both interdisciplinary centers.
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Racial Reconciliation

Creating strategies to hear and reconcile racial differences.

I have worked with organizations and schools to directly address racial differences and the complications that result. At Westlake High School in Maryland, I orchestrated a multi-week combination of investigation, workshops and interventions between 90% White faculty and 99% Black student body. I was one of the writers who prepared training material and resource materials for the Kellogg Foundation’ Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Project and participated as a consultant in subsequent activities.
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Let's Connect

3 + 14 =

Dr. Parks brings a wealth of knowledge from her background in everyday aesthetics and her involvement with numerous high-impact interdisciplinary projects. As a speaker at our international symposium on Beauty at Work, she brought to bear insights integrating theory and practice in unique ways. The audience was left inspired by her rich examples of initiatives integrating art and justice which had transformative effects on diverse communities.

Brandon Vaidyanathan, Ph.D., Catholic University

I wanted scientists from around the world to appreciate why our research, constructed carefully in laboratories, matters to a wider world. Dr. Parks’ work with Baltimore youth and with farmers through the Natural Dye Initiative demonstrates powerfully the importance of beauty across race, gender, and social class. Many meeting attendees went out of their way to tell me how Dr. Parks’ presentation moved them and motivated them to think more explicitly about the social relevance of their work.

Anjan Chatterjee, M.D., Director, PENN Center for Neuroaesthetics

Sheri L. Parks rivets listeners with profound insights, drawing on deep knowledge, both academic and experiential, of what it means to endure and, beyond that, to create community today. Marked by remarkable generosity and a playful spirit, her work and her words inspire. It has been a special treat in my career to hear Dr. Parks speak and then to host her at my institution.

Bethany Wiggens, Ph.D., Founding Director, University of Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Humanities

Client Samples