Maria parker

Maria Parker of Westerly, Rhode Island, began her professional journey as an elementary school teacher before founding and directing her own nursery school, which served 100 students each week with a dedicated staff. She went on to serve as president of a local branch of the American Association of University Women and became involved in a national policy dispute that led to her being interviewed on national news. Following this, Parker was appointed Respect Life Director for the Bishop of Rhode Island, where she worked as a lobbyist on issues of abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment, achieving successful bans on partial birth abortion and assisted suicide. She later commuted to Massachusetts to serve as Project Director for In Support of Life and then as Director of Public Policy for the Catholic Conference, representing four dioceses at the State House. Parker also served as the United Nations representative for the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, representing the Pope at conferences on women's issues and sustainable development. A fluent speaker of Italian, French, and Spanish, she has written for newspapers, hosted television and radio programs, and continues to write articles after retiring in 2007.