Anthony Parker to Receive 2023 MLK Medal of Service Award

(October 18, 2022 4:57 PM) Jackson College today announced that local businessman Anthony Parker will be the 2023 recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Service Award.

Parker will be honored at the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, on Saturday, Jan. 14 in the Victor Cuiss Fieldhouse; doors open at 4:30 p.m. Tickets will be $35 for adults, $25 for senior citizens and students. The theme for the evening will be “Drum Major for Justice, Peace & Righteousness,” with keynote speaker Angela Thompkins, vice president and chief diversity officer for Consumers Energy.

Parker retired from Consumers Energy and today is busy with his new business venture, ASP Logistics. As president and chief executive officer, he has been busy hiring employees for this delivery service partner for Amazon. In addition, Parker is a registered financial consultant who does income taxes and retirement planning for clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Western Michigan University and a Master of Business Administration from Spring Arbor University.

Having lived all his adult life in Jackson, Parker has been a leader not only for business but also in the community. He’s been a Little League coach almost all his adult life, seizing the opportunity to share important key values with young people. He has served many boards in Jackson, including the Juneteenth Celebration Committee, Henry Ford Health Foundation Board, Nonprofit Network Board of Directors, Interfaith Shelter Board, College and Career Access Center board, YMCA board, and is currently the chair of the MLK Corridor Authority for the City of Jackson. He is a member of the NAACP and a mentor for youth in Jackson.

“I will often ask myself, if not me, then who? If there is an opportunity for me to impart knowledge that I’ve learned over the years in business or in life in general, especially in young people’s lives, I will. I get as much enjoyment out of it as anyone else. It’s equally beneficial for me,” he said.

In addition to his community and professional involvements, Parker is a member and elder at Mount Hope Community Church in Jackson. His spiritual walk with God is deeply important to him. He and his wife, Andrea, have two adult children, Anthony and Ashlyn. Both are part of ASP Logistics in hopes of one day running the business for him.

Receiving the King Medal of Service Award means a great deal to this community servant. “I feel a lot of love from the Jackson community. It was humbling to get recognized for the work I’ve done for years; I am grateful. There are a lot of other folks who have won this award that have done great work in our community. It’s good to join that group of people.”

Keynote Speaker

Angela Thompkins has dedicated her life to pursuing inclusion, advancing equity and advocating for all people. She leads the energy provider’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) and Strategic Talent Sourcing teams. Thompkins has been recognized for leading diverse teams. She has more than 15 years of experience as an automotive Lobbyist, trial attorney and adjunct professor. Thompkins also has held increasingly responsible human resources leadership positions in the automotive and foodservice industries.

Thompkins was most recently recognized as a 2022 Tough Enough to be a Girl Scout honoree, a 2021 Top Diversity Officer by the Energy Inclusion Conference, a 2021 Corp! Magazine Salute to Diversity Business Leaders award recipient and a 2020 Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence honoree. She enjoys community and professional enrichment, serving on the boards of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, Michigan Diversity Council, American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) Michigan and the Advisory Council for the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.jccmi.edu/mlk23.