DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Phyllis Parker
Phyllis Parker
Forrest County Extension Office Associate Phyllis Parker enjoys working for an organization where she knows there is genuine care for others.
“It’s good to know that you’re employed by an organization that isn’t just concerned with their own success but with the education of the people they serve,” Phyllis said.
After transferring from East Mississippi Community College and graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Phyllis began working for MSU Extension in 1990. When she took her first position as an office associate in her native Noxubee County, Phyllis was unaware of the opportunities that Extension offers people.
“In Noxubee County, I was blessed to see firsthand the impact Extension can have on others,” Phyllis said. “I worked with the Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers, and it was such a joy to be so tied to the community.”
In 1994, she moved to Hattiesburg with her husband, Virie, who works as a manager for the USM Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Phyllis then began working for Forrest County Extension and is currently in her 25th year there.
Phyllis’s job requires a great deal of human interaction. Her daily duties include answering phones and helping clients find the information to fit their needs. Some online facets of the job include managing inventory, updating the mailroom database, downloading updates for the postage machine, and ordering supplies and publications. Phyllis also proctors the TummySafe certification exam and assists with scheduling conferences and events.
Phyllis enjoys meeting clients and volunteers.
“Whether it’s fulfilling requests for Extension information, signing for packages, dealing with service technicians and county maintenance workers, or directing someone lost to the correct place, with Extension, no two days are the same, so that makes the job unique,” Phyllis said.
Outside of the office, Phyllis’s home is her church, Rock of Ages Christian Fellowship Center. She serves as VBS director, welcomes new members, and organizes the first Sunday bulletin.
Phyllis has two children: Phenique, a senior MSU biomedical engineering major, and Jamarquez, a sophomore USM music education major.
Editor's note: The Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Spotlight Employee profiles are provided by the Office of Agricultural Communications at Mississippi State. For more information, please click here.
