Disha Parker
Disha Parker is a maritime compliance and risk executive based in the New York City metropolitan area with more than 15 years of experience across global logistics, ocean freight operations, and military transportation. Her career began with a 10-year tenure in the U.S. Army as an 88N Transportation Management Coordinator, where she developed deep expertise in logistics planning, contingency operations, and mission-critical transport coordination. This foundation shaped her disciplined, mission-driven approach to managing complex regulatory and operational environments in the civilian sector.
In her current role as Maritime Compliance Manager at CEVA Logistics, Disha oversees global ocean compliance programs, ensuring adherence to Federal Maritime Commission regulations as well as international frameworks such as ITAR, EAR, OFAC, SOLAS, and MARPOL. She is responsible for strengthening internal controls, managing audits, overseeing hazardous and dangerous goods compliance, and training ocean freight personnel across the organization. Her work also spans cross-functional collaboration with business development, IT, and operations teams to improve documentation standards, risk mitigation strategies, and regulatory adherence across global supply chains.
Disha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security from St. John’s University and recently completed her MBA in Business Administration in 2026 while working full-time. One of her notable professional achievements includes publishing a Container Management Standard Operating Procedure in 2018, which continues to be used across multiple Middle Eastern regions. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she values continuous learning and personal development, and enjoys activities such as biking, swimming, and reading self-help literature.
• St. John's University - BA
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to working with various departments in the company, particularly Business Development and IT, to help me implement and develop training documents and visuals that ensure ocean regulations are followed throughout the company. Having a healthy and productive working relationship with these different departments has been key to my success. I also want to add that my background in overall transportation contributes significantly to my success, because I don't just have to focus on the ocean part, but I understand the various other modes of transportation as well, which gives me a more comprehensive perspective.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to work as a team with everyone and understand that I have help and co-workers available to me. I've learned to ensure that I don't take on too much, but also know how to delegate effectively. If I have problems or issues, I should reach out to people, because people are always there to help me. I don't have to take on everything myself, even though that can be very hard to do.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It could be intimidating at first, but you just have to stick through it and remain focused. If you do that, it'll all come together. Don't let the initial challenges discourage you - stay committed and keep your focus on your goals.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in my field is getting personnel to adhere to the regulations. It's about making it something that they want to do, rather than treating it like a fire drill. The challenge is getting people to follow the regulations and ensure everything is up-to-date and compatible with the regulations in a way that feels meaningful to them, not just like a compliance checkbox.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One of the values that really sticks out to me is selfless service. What I mean by that is not being focused on myself, but being focused on the overall task at hand and ensuring that it gets done to completion. I make sure that everyone is on board and that there are no hazards. Despite my own needs, I don't put myself first - I put the mission first, and also my colleagues and team members first. It's about prioritizing the collective goal and the wellbeing of the team over individual concerns.