John Parker ~ Co-author of The Best of Our Lives

As a young man, John Parker was an aspiring athlete and played winter baseball with the Los Angeles Angels before an arm injury ended that dream. In his early twenties, he attended college and pursued many diverse interests such as playing guitar in a band and becoming a licensed pilot. During the Vietnam War, John joined the United States Air Force and served as an intelligence analyst. While in the military, he married his long-time girlfriend Trisha Nystrom.

After John completed his tour of duty, he and Trisha returned to southern California where they settled down and raised their three sons. After finishing his B.A., he went on to complete his master’s and doctorate degrees in organizational communication. Over the course of his career, John served on the faculties of several major institutions, including Pepperdine University, California State University in Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and St. Mary’s College of California. He also spent considerable time in the business world and was a founding partner in a successful management consulting firm that continues to operate to this day. As a management consultant and personal advisor, John has worked for numerous legal, corporate, and governmental organizations. As an author, John co-wrote the popular study skills text, The Student Success Workbook. He has also been a featured speaker for numerous organizations and a guest on several radio and television programs.

John is a devoted family man and enjoys sports, traveling, music, and photography.