Dr. R.O. (Rick) Parker - President

R.O. Parker, (Rick), grew up on an irrigated farm in southern Idaho. Because of a love of agriculture, he went on in his education. Starting at Brigham Young University (BYU), he received his bachelor’s degree (animal science and zoology) and then moved to Ames, Iowa, where he finished a PhD in animal physiology at Iowa State University. After completing his PhD, he and his family moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where he completed a post doctorate on neonatal pig physiology at the University of Alberta. Next, he and his wife, Marilyn, and their children moved to Laramie, Wyoming, where he was a research and teaching associate at the University of Wyoming. Here his research focus was fetal development in sheep.

For 19 years, Rick served as a division director and instructor at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) in Twin Falls. As director he worked with faculty in agriculture, information technology, drafting, marketing and management, and electronics. Dr. Parker also taught biology, computer and animal science classes.

agriculture classes at CSI. For seven years (2005 - 2012), he served as the director and principal investigator for AgrowKnowledge, the National Resource Center for Agri science and Technology Education, a project funded by the National Science Foundation (DUE #0802510).

Dr. Parker is the author of these Delmar Cengage Learning texts: Aquaculture Science (3rd edition), Equine Science (4th edition), Introduction to Plant Science, Introduction to Food Science, Fundamentals and Applications of Plant & Soil Science.  He is also co-author with Marihelen Glass on the text Fundamentals of Plant Science, and the author of booklets and online lessons. Additionally, he was the editor for the peer-reviewed NACTA Journal (www.NACTAteachers.org), from 2002 to 2019 which focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning. NACTA is the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture organization.

Dr. Parker enjoys technology, reading and gardening for hobbies. He understands the value of time and his favorite saying is: "I hear; I forget; I see; I remember; I do; I understand."

He and his wife (Marilyn) are the parents of eight children and grandparents of 27. His time spent with children and grandchildren is time well spent. In his off-time he works on a project called Dads Cooking where he writes about the importance of fathers/grandfathers and how cooking plays a role. He keeps a this website and a Facebook page for this project. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Marilyn Parker - Vice President

Marilyn grew up in southern California. She attended and graduated from BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho where she met and married Rick. She is a full partner with Rick -- proof reading, editing and providing guidance. Since 2001 she has served as the Secretary/Treasurer for NACTA. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cole Parker - Controller

Cole grew up in southern Idaho. He graduated from the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) with an associate’s degree. He then furthered his education and graduated from Idaho State University (ISU) with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting. In July of 2011, Cole obtained his CPA license. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Idaho Society of Certified Public Accountants (ISCPA)

Cole currently lives in Filer, Idaho with his wife and their five beautiful children. He enjoys camping, Dutch-oven cooking, fishing, boating, four-wheeling, mountain biking – ultimately anything outdoors related. He also enjoys welding, drafting, lesser amounts of manual labor, and using his hands to create, assemble, or repair whatever he is able. He is the owner of the accounting compamy Clearpath Consulting, LLC. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Karen Earwood - Administrative Assistant

Karen has been with the National Agricultural Institute since 2012. She has a degree in Environmental Technology. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.