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Kathryn O’Rourke Parker
Kathy Parker's life has been passionately dedicated to the enhancement and enrichment of children's lives. She's accomplished this by educating, entertaining and significantly improving the quality of life for both children and their families. As Co-Creator of Barney the Dinosaur® and Executive Producer of the Barney & Friends® PBS series, Parker worked to establish the educational and entertainment concepts and framework for Barney. Her work with Barney has been recognized through numerous awards and nominations, including Grammy Awards, two Daytime Emmy nominations and a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Parker received her B.S. ('76) and M.A. ('79) degrees from Eastern Michigan University. Since her departure from Barney, Parker has become deeply involved with several philanthropic organizations benefiting children. She is currently developing a new children's preschool television series.
Her husband Phil, a former teacher and songwriter, is now the secondary math specialist for M.I.S.D. They are the parents of two outstanding children-Kaitlin, an '07 graduate of Davidson College and an '03 graduate of McKinney High School, and Ryan, a junior at Boyd High School. The Parkers have proudly called the McKinney area home for the past 25 years.