Special Section – Influential Women Leading the Way in Charlotte 11

Janet Parker

Public Information Manager, Mecklenburg County Sherriff’s Office

Photo by Isaiah Anderson/Eye Sun Photography

By Vanessa Clarke

Journalist, producer, reporter, influencer and body-positive model are a few of Janet Parker’s titles, but she is also the public information manager for the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Department. Parker has created a life of effectively communicating and relating to the public. After working in broadcasting for 12 years, the impact of the pandemic inspired her to seek new challenges, and so she decided to explore a career in law enforcement. The job change allowed her to enjoy more of her personal time, she said.  

One of Parker’s goals is to smash biased ideals of beauty, she said. Through her work as a Body Positivity Model and public speaker, she has helped other women feel empowered and t move beyond how other people view them. ”Being a plus-sized, African American woman speaking to that demographic and letting women know that they are beautiful the way they are and to embrace their imperfections and their curves,” is rare and needed, Parker said.

Parker earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of South Carolina. As the Public Information Manager for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, she maintains and promotes the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, the public and the news media. Parker is working on a book about her choices in life and said in the past year she has learned that “you can never lose when you choose yourself. You are the only person you absolutely have to live with for the rest of your life.”

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