Woodrow McClain Parker

Parker was awarded the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the University of Florida College of Education and the Lifetime Service Award to the counseling profession from the Florida Counseling Association.

Parker worked as a professor in the Counselor Education Department at the University of Florida for 19 years and as a mental health counselor in the student health care center. He has disseminated his research findings in numerous books and journals and received the "Most Prolific Contributor Award" for his work published in the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development. He has collaborated with various school districts and consulted with various colleges and universities. Parker also conducted group discussions and research in West Africa and Puerto Rico. In 1996, he received two university-wide awards for excellence in teaching and research.

Parker received his Bachelor of Science degree in English from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He furthered his education with a Master of Science degree in Counselor Education from the University of South Florida in 1971 and earned a PhD in Counselor Education and Mental Health from the University of Florida in 1975.

Woodrow McClain "Max" Parker (born April 23, 1941) is an American educator, mental health counselor, and author with a focus on multicultural counseling, training, and consultation. Prior to his retirement in 2016, was a professor of counselor education and as a mental health counselor in the Counseling and Wellness Center at the University of Florida. He provided consultation services on diversity and race relations for schools, colleges, and a variety of community agencies throughout the United States. Parker has authored, co-authored, and contributed to several published works.

Parker was born in the small, rural, and segregated town of Atmore, Alabama on April 23, 1941. He is the fourth of five children born to Mark and Nellie Parker.