Rachael Stephens Parker

Rachael Stephens Parker began her tenure as the executive director of the Maryland Governor’s Workforce Development Board in August 2023, under the leadership of Governor Wes Moore and Secretary of Labor Portia Wu. Prior to this, Parker was the program director of workforce development and economic policy for the bipartisan National Governors Association, where she provided workforce and economic policy guidance to governors and state workforce system leaders. She led projects that assisted states on issues including workforce system governance and strategic planning, work-based learning and apprenticeships, digital skills, and economic mobility. She began her career in workforce development managing career mentorship and employment programs for adults experiencing poverty in the New York City and Washington, D.C., areas.

Parker holds a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (MA) and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Bryn Mawr College (PA).