Local Leader Joins ECC Board of Trustees

Carole White (left), Edgecombe County Clerk of Court, delivers the oath of office to (l-r) Carl Warren, who was reappointed to the Edgecombe Community College Board of Trustees; and Kenny Parker, who is a new board member. Not shown is Wick Baker, who was reappointed to the board.

Tarboro resident William “Kenny” Parker has been appointed to a four-year term on the Edgecombe Community College Board of Trustees.

Appointed to the board by Governor Roy Cooper, Parker holds two ECC degrees: an associate in applied science degree in business administration and an associate in applied science degree in industrial management.

He also attended North Carolina A&T State University. Prior to attending college, he served in the U.S. Army and received numerous recognitions, including the Bronze Star Medal for his service in the Vietnam War.

Following military service and college, Parker worked for many years at Consolidated Diesel, retiring in 2008 as operational business manager. He then worked part time at ECC as a life coach with the minority male mentoring program, where he provided encouragement and assistance to help students successfully complete their studies.

A community leader, he is pastor of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Oak City, chair of the Vidant Community Development Board Tarboro, member of the Vidant Health Foundation and Vidant Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees, member of the Edgecombe County Human Services Board, co-chair and member of the Edgecombe County Cancer Foundation, chaplain of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, and volunteer with the American Red Cross.

“Mr. Parker will be a strong asset to the college’s Board of Trustees,” says Dr. Jerry Price, chair of the board. “His prior work and military experiences along with his work at ECC, in the community, and on local nonprofit boards will be tremendously valuable to the board and to the college as a whole.”

In addition to the appointment of Parker, Wick Baker and Carl Warren were reappointed to the ECC Board of Trustees for four-year terms.

Wick Baker is an Edgecombe County Board of Education appointee to the board and retired CEO of Vidant Edgecombe Hospital. He served as chair of the ECC Board of Trustees from 2013 until 2017. He is the current chair of the board’s Finance Committee and a member of the Executive Committee.

Carl Warren, a retired executive with Superior Essex, is an Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners appointee to the ECC Board of Trustees. He serves as chair of the board’s Buildings and Grounds Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee.

The ECC Board of Trustees has twelve members, each serving a four-year term. The Office of the Governor appoints four members. The Edgecombe County Board of Education and the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners each appoint four members.