Patricia Parker

Patricia (Pat) Parker’s career as a successful government contractor begins with her dedication to her community. Her leadership and business acumen stem from an accomplished history of service to guarantee positive results for not only her Federal clientele but also the community at large. Her ability to grow NAMS from one small contract to a company that has routinely pushed the boundaries of its $7M size standard comes from personal knowledge of her market...both upstream and downstream. With a background in communications, she quickly rose during her tenure with Indian Health Service. She became Director for Communications where she managed the Indian Health Service’s newly established communications arm. During that time she became well acquainted with how federal contracts are administered from a project officer and contracting officer representative’s perspective and it was this experience that led her to the foundation of NAMS with her sister Tonya Parker She represents NAMS’ abilities to government officials, leaders of private and non‐profit corporations and American Indian and Alaska Native leaders. She maintains a dedication to giving back to her community with the same passion and energy that she brings to her federal clients. Pat’s diverse education includes attendance at the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa University’s School of the Dramatic Arts and the University of Maryland, where she studied theatre, journalism and public relations. Her studies and experience in journalism, public relations and theater combined with her desire to create a venue to provide contemporary messages and images of American Indian people was the catalyst for producing Windows to Our Ways. Windows to Our Ways was a public service program dedicated to promoting the diverse culture of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The show was produced at and aired on Fairfax Public Access Television. Pat believes that using most powerful media tool to communicate, educate and entertain, from an American Indian point of view, will not only bring a greater understanding of the culture but also provide a platform for Indian unity. The community based programming was largely underwritten by Pat and her sister Tonya.