ATLANTA – Karen Webster Parks, a well-respected fund-raising, public policy and nonprofit expert, has been named president and CEO of Literacy Action.  She takes her post April 4.

Literacy Action, Inc. is the largest community-based nonprofit in Georgia that provides free classroom instruction and job-readiness services for adults with low literacy skills.

“I am thrilled to announce that Karen Webster Parks will be our next president and CEO,” said Dave Peterson, founder and chairman of The North Highland Company and chair of Literacy Action’s board of trustees. “She brings many years of business and nonprofit leadership experience and a passion for communicating the value of literacy as fundamental for being an effective citizen, employee, and parent. “

Parks has 30 years of experience across the business, nonprofit and government sectors.

Since 2003, she has run her own firm, specializing in business development, leadership development, corporate philanthropy management services and consulting. Previously, she served as interim CEO for The Atlanta Women’s Foundation, and first CEO of The Civic League, whose mission is to make the Atlanta region a better place by building the knowledge, involvement, voice and power of citizens in the Atlanta region. She also served as senior corporate vice president for Beers Skanska, Inc., the largest commercial construction company in the Southeast.

Parks also has a long history in public service. She served as vice chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, as the at-large representative for District 2 in the largest county in Georgia. Other public-service positions included serving as chief of staff to the chairman of the Fulton County board of commissioners, executive director for intergovernmental and interagency affairs in the Fulton County manager’s office, and director of the Victim/Witness Assistance Program in the Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office.

She holds a master’s in public administration from Georgia State University, and a bachelor’s in history from the University of Virginia.

“My predecessor worked hard to put Literacy Action on solid footing, revamp programs, build alliances in the community, and hire top-notch professionals dedicated to LAI’s mission of teaching adults to read,” Parks said.  “Now that a solid foundation has been built, it is time for Literacy Action to spread its wings to reach a broader community.”

Parks succeeds Emily Ellison, who left the agency in March to become director of advancement for the Atlanta Girls’ School.

Parks is heavily involved in the community. She will continue to serve on the national board of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association, and the advisory boards of the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Political Institute for Women. Parks has won numerous prestigious awards, including the 2008 Community Leadership Award from the National Conference for Volunteering and Service, and the 2007 Zenith Award for Distinction in the Profession from the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys. She is also a graduate of several leadership programs, including Leadership Atlanta, the Regional Leadership Institute, Leadership Georgia and Leadership America.

Literacy Action has been providing adult literacy instruction since 1968. In addition to basic and advanced reading programs, the agency also provides classes in math, computer, financial, health, and family literacy and GED test preparation. The organization currently receives no federal or state funding.

More information is available at www.LiteracyAction.org.