The Institute for Higher Education Policy Board of Directors Taps Senior Associate Thomas D. Parker to Serve as Interim President
Published May 13, 2014
Washington, D.C., Oct. 15, 2007—The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Thomas D. Parker to serve as the organization’s interim president effective January 1, 2008. A longtime IHEP senior associate, Parker will succeed Jamie P. Merisotis who was recently named the new president and CEO of Lumina Foundation for Education. Parker will continue in his new role until a nationwide search produces a permanent successor to Merisotis.
“Tom is widely respected for his knowledge of higher education policy, and the Board is confident that he will continue the kind of extraordinary leadership that Jamie provided during his 14-year tenure as the founding president of IHEP,” said Kathy Isaacson, chairperson of the IHEP board and strategic planning specialist and communications consultant of Strategic Engagement, LLC. “Given his familiarity with the inner workings of the organization, Tom is also uniquely positioned to successfully lead the organization during this time of transition.”
Parker is the former president and CEO of TERI (The Education Resources Institute), the nation’s largest private student loan guarantor, and former executive vice president of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. During the Carter Administration, Parker worked for the National Institute of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, and in the first Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education. He also served as director of planning and research at the Massachusetts Higher Education Assistance Corporation (now American Student Assistance), and as treasurer and senior vice president at TERI before serving as its president and CEO. Parker began his career at Harvard University, where he served in several capacities including secretary to the Visiting Committees of the Board of Overseers and assistant to the dean of the Graduate School of Education. Subsequently he served as vice president of Bennington College in Vermont. Currently, Parker serves as senior advisor to the office of the chairman at the First Marblehead Corporation in Boston, Mass., in addition to his responsibilities at IHEP.
Parker has nearly 40 years of experience in higher education management, policy, and finance. He has taught higher education finance and the history of higher education for 15 years at Boston University. Parker’s international consulting experience in higher education spans from China, Vietnam, and Thailand to the United Kingdom. He holds Ed.D., M.A.T, and A.B. degrees from Harvard University.
