* Photograph by Shane Van Boxtel / Image Studios
Green Bay Area Public School District
Even when Ingrid Parker-Hill decided she needed a break from the human and family services field and took a job at the athletic apparel company Eastbay, she ended up volunteering to handle the company’s customer complaints. Helping people thrive and fostering healthy relationships, she admits, is just in her blood.
“I’m naturally a person who wants people to be successful and be their best selves,” Parker-Hill says. “I always say when I help someone, I get my blessings.”
Today Parker-Hill gets those blessings as family engagement coordinator with the Green Bay Area Public School District, where she has created or grown programs ranging from the African American Male and Female Achievement Summits and the Equity in Education Student Success Awards to Voices of Equity, which focuses on cultural and linguistic responsive development.
“It’s all about connecting dots,” she says. “We’re all in this together, no matter what side of the fence you’re on, no matter what you look like, no matter what your beliefs are. This is our community.”
A native of Chicago, Parker-Hill has embraced the community in Northeast Wisconsin and understood the challenges it can pose for the underrepresented people of color who live here. And for every program she has created or conversation she has facilitated, the community keeps asking for more.
“When George Floyd was murdered we were all virtual, so I couldn’t go to the schools to check on people,” Parker-Hill remembers. “So I did a virtual meeting. It was a very good thing and they wanted to do more. This wasn’t my job, but it was one of those things that had to be done, so we turned it into the Black Action Committee.”
Seeing the success of the Black Action Committee, Parker-Hill says, sparked a conversation about creating spaces for other groups and gave rise to the Voices of Equity program. Creating community and a sense of belonging has become a mission for Parker-Hill that extends far beyond the initial scope of her job. It can make her work feel overwhelming at times, she says, but it also fills her with purpose and direction.
“We know, and this is not rocket science, that if people are not feeling welcome or comfortable or feel like they belong, they’re not going to stay — even if a job is good, paying a lot,” Parker-Hill says. “If they don’t feel community, they’re not going to stay and I can’t say I blame them. This can be a good place for young professionals, so [it’s important to ask], ‘What does that look like for them?’”
A former membership and community development manager at Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Parker-Hill is a strong advocate for leveraging regional and national partnerships to increase efficiencies and improve outcomes for youth. This includes her service to the New North Inc.’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging K-12 Task Force, which has allowed her to form partnerships with leaders in places like Appleton and Fond du Lac who are doing similar work. New North Inc. Executive Director Barb LaMue nominated Parker-Hill for this award.
“Ingrid is truly a passionate professional who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make our region a better place by supporting the educational and cultural needs of students and families,” LaMue wrote. “She has taken her activities well beyond expectations, putting in many hours outside of her school day.”
A mother and grandmother who says her own mother is her inspiration, Parker-Hill considers her work personal, citing especially the achievement gap that affects African American boys.
“I wanted to be a part of changing that,” she says. “If we focus on the school success pipeline, making sure all our kids continue to feel motivated, they will be able to be who they are authentically. A sense of belonging is so important.”
