Janet Parker

About Janet Parker

I grew up in the Midwest with California dreams and ultimately landed a great job in San Francisco - and felt I had finally arrived. I never imagined that the move to California would land me in Mississippi. Even more to my surprise is how much I have loved living in Mississippi. I received my undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Millsaps College Else School of Management. My career has covered everything from sales, marketing, public relations, speaker training, medical meeting moderation, and television; and ultimately all these experiences converged into my current role in business development with Innovate Mississippi, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Mississippi startups grow and scale. The opportunity to work with entrepreneurs and to experience their resilience, confidence, and fearlessness, has inspired me in both my professional and personal life. My focus is to create strategic solutions that support the growth of the startup ecosystem in the State, including building relationships, supporting collaborations among multiple stakeholders, creating mechanisms for meaningful connections between stakeholders, and telling the stories of Mississippi’s great Startups. There is growing momentum and support for young firms and technology-based innovation in the State that is exciting to be a part of, and I believe that the challenges we face create opportunities for growth in the future. I learned a long time ago that if you help others get what they want, the rewards will come back to you – and it’s fun to be in an organization that shares my personal values.

Experience

1. Vice President of Business Development

   Innovate Mississippi

   Jul 2024 — Present · Jackson, MS, US

Education

• Millsaps College

  Master of Business Administration - MBA

• Gies College of Business - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Business Administration/Marketing

Skills

• Executive Coaching
• Management
• Advertising
• Strategic Communications
• Sales
• Online Advertising
• Publicity
• Social Networking
• Nonprofits
• Training
• Newsletters
• Training Delivery
• Communication
• Brand Development
• Corporate Communications
• Public Speaking
• Event Planning
• Coaching
• SEO
• Social Media Marketing
• Leadership
• Integrated Marketing
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Social Media
• Press Releases
• Copywriting
• Strategic Planning
• Public Relations
• Internal Communications
• Blogging
• Lead Generation
• Media Relations
• Fundraising
• Marketing Strategy
• Marketing
• Direct Marketing
• Online Marketing
• Strategy
• Superior Communications Skills
• Event Management