Dr. Jerry L. Parker was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was raised in Zachary, Louisiana, and is a graduate of Zachary High School. Upon leaving Zachary, he went on to Southeastern Louisiana University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature with minors in Spanish, Francophone and Creole Ethnic Studies, and International Studies. He then went on to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he earned a Master of Arts in French with a Bilingual Concentration in French and Spanish. Immediately after graduating from UL, he was hired as an instructor of French and Spanish at Southeastern. While employed, he also completed an Ed.D in Educational Leadership. He is also an adjunct assistant professor of Spanish at Morris Brown College. Recently, he enrolled in the Executive Master of Public Administration Program at Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. 

Dr. Parker continues to serve as an instructor at Southeastern in the Department of World Languages and Cultures teaching courses in French, Spanish, World Language Education, and Humanities. He also serves as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator and Director of the Foreign Language Resource Center. He also is a member of the Graduate Faculty and the Site Coordinator for Teacher Candidates in French Education and Spanish Education in combination with the Department of Teaching and Learning. 

In 2019 he was named Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year in the Connect to Success Program at Northshore Technical Community College. He was also named the 2023 Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers Association Teacher of the Year.