The Foundation Board

A. Louis Parker
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives
GE Industrial

Louis Parker is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives with GE Industrial, a $23 billion business within General Electric’s portfolio. In this role, he is responsible for managing global business development strategies and technology roadmaps focused on sustainable growth.

In 2001, Parker was elected an officer of GE. He began his career at GE in 1996 and has since then led a variety of leadership roles within the company.

Prior to his current position, Parker was president and CEO of GE Security, a leading supplier of security and life safety technologies with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately $1.8 billion in annual sales.

Between January and June 2005, he assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer for GE Security. Before that assignment, he served as President & CEO of the Homeland Protection unit of GE Security, a business that provides products and technology in the areas of explosives, bio chemical, and trace detection.

Parker joined the security operations from GE Insurance, where he was the President and CEO, Commercial Insurance in Overland Park, Kansas and held that position between 2001-2004. He led the combined direct insurance operations of Specialty, Healthcare, P&C Select, The Medical Protective Company, Industrial Risk Insurers, and GE Asset Protection Services. 

Prior to joining GE Insurance, Parker was President of GE Financial Assurance Direct (GEFA). GEFA specializes in annuities, mutual funds, and injury settlements as well as life products.  Serving more than 25 million customers, GEFA also offered long-term care coverage, term life insurance, supplementary accident and health benefits, auto, and lifestyle products to provide consumers with lifestyle protection and enhancement.

Before GE, Parker worked at IBM for 11 years in Sales and Marketing. After completing his M.B.A., he worked for Morgan Stanley in Corporate Finance.  He then joined Automatic Data Processing as Vice President & General Manager and progressed to Division Vice President. 

A native of Pittsburgh, Parker earned a B.A. degree in political science from University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Parker has appeared as an expert on panel discussions and featured in several publications and broadcasts outlets such as New York Times, CNBC’s Power Lunch, Associated Press, Security, Sarasota-Manatee County Business Magazine and Black Enterprise.

He has been married to his wife Alita for 23 years and they have one son, Elliott.

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