According to a press release from the White House, Parker previously served in the Obama administration as deputy assistant secretary for policy in the Department of Labor’s mine safety and health administration. Parker was also a member of the Biden-Harris transition team focused on worker health and safety issues. He also held positions as a senior policy advisor and special assistant at the Department of Labor.

Before serving in the Obama administration, Parker was a partner at the law firm Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy and Welch, in Washington, D.C. He began his legal career as a staff attorney at the United Mine Workers of America. Prior to law school, Parker worked in the private sector as a sales and marketing director, in communications for the Democratic National Committee, and was a staff assistant for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.

Parker earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in history from James Madison University. He is married and has two daughters. Parker is originally from Bluefield, W. Va., and grew up in Lynchburg, Va.