Dr. Allison Parker is originally from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and completed her Ph.D. in English Literature with an emphasis in African American Literature and Feminist Rhetoric from Arizona State University in May 2010. In addition, she completed her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction in 2004 and her M.A. in English Literature in 2003.

In August 2018, Dr. Parker moved to Southern California to begin work as a full-time Instructor at Pasadena City College. Before that, she was the African American Literature specialist in the Humanities Department of Massachusetts Maritime Academy where she was an Associate Professor for two years and taught African American Literature and Gender Studies. When Dr. Parker moved to Massachusetts, she left her position at Arizona State University where she had been teaching two sections of African American Literature (Pre and Post Harlem Renaissance) since 2008. At this position, the students in her African American literature class nominated her for “ASU’s Funniest Teacher” in 2013.

In addition to her work at PCC, Dr. Parker has over seventeen years of community college teaching experience as a tenured, Residential Faculty member at Maricopa Community Colleges in Phoenix, AZ where she taught African American Literature, Introduction to Literature, World Literature, English Composition, Developmental English, Critical Reading, Women & Films, and Introduction to Gender Studies.