William D. Parker Biography William D. Parker is principal of Skiatook High School, just north of Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A. As a high school teacher, he taught Language Arts, creative writing, and Advanced Placement English. He has also taught writing in summer student academies through Oklahoma State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine, and he has taught adult education courses through Tulsa Technology Center. An Oklahoma educator since 1993, he was named Broken Arrow Public School's South Intermediate High School Teacher of the Year in 1998. He became an assistant principal in 2004. A member of the National Association of Secondary Principals, Parker was named the 2011 Oklahoma Assistant Principal of the Year. As principal of a Title I school, his school's innovative approaches to collaboration, remediation and mentoring have resulted in marked improvements in student performance. He is regularly asked to speak to principal associations, school leadership conferences, and graduate classes on effective leadership practices, organizational behavior, and digital tools for enhancing school communication. In 2014 he released his first book, Principal Matters: The Motivation, Action, Courage, and Teamwork Needed for School Leaders. His second book, Messaging Matters: How School Leaders Can Inspire Students, Motivate Teachers, and Communicate with Parents, is scheduled for publication August 2017 with Solution Tree Press. Parker hosts a weekly podcast called Principal Matters and writes a weekly blog that he shares on his website www.williamdparker.com. He is also a contributing author on ConnectedPrincipals.com, and a guest blogger for the National Association of Secondary Principals. He also hosts monthly webinars for his state's principal association members where he shares innovative ideas for growing in school leadership. Mr. Parker earned his bachelor's degree in English Education from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and his master's degree in education leadership from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He has been married for twenty-three years to his wife Missy, and they are the proud parents of four children: 3 girls and 1 boy. When he is not supervising school events or shuttling his own children to practices, he also enjoys running, hiking, and playing guitar or piano.