- Email:
- pending
- Campus:
- IU Bloomington
Kendall T. Parks began his life as an educator in Davis Public Schools in
Oklahoma. He directed the Indian Education Program, taught Oklahoma History, and led the off-season weightlifting program. He then followed the nation’s call to service by enlisting in the U.S. Army in in 1983 as a Polish linguist. After five enlisted years he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned into the Field Artillery in 1988. He later served as a military intelligence officer, a foreign area officer (FAO), and strategic planner. Dr. Parks deployed numerous times while on active duty, first as a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) platoon leader in Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm. In September 1994, he deployed to Kuwait as Tactical Intelligence Officer. Later, he served as a Liaison Officer (LNO) to the Russian Separate Airborne Brigade in Bosnia during Operation Joint Forge. In 2007, he served as the Multi-National Corps-Iraq (MNC-I) LNO to the Republic of Georgia Brigade at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Delta, near Al Kut, Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His military career culminated as the Chief, Stability Operations Plans in Kabul, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in the ISAF Joint Command (IJC).
His non-combat military leadership jobs included: Company Commander in the First Cavalry Division; Chief, Arms Control Implementation Division (ACID) in Moscow, Russia; Deputy G9 (CivilMilitary Operations) of III Corps; the Defense Attaché in Yerevan, Armenia; and the Assistant Chief of Staff, G5 (strategic plans), in V Corps, in Wiesbaden, Germany, preparing V Corps for a deployment to
Afghanistan. He also held assignments involving training and teaching. He worked as a Training Developer at Fort Hood, Texas, and most significantly he taught German at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point for three years. Dr. Parks also has fluency in Polish and Russian.
His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (3 awards), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), the Army Commendation Medal (4 awards), the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal (4 awards), the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara, Parachutist Badge, and other medals and ribbons.
He has a BA in German/Education from the University of Oklahoma, an MA in International Relations from the University of Southern California, a MPA degree from the University of Oklahoma, an MA in Russian and East European Area Studies from Indiana University, an MA in German Language and Literature from Middlebury College, and graduated from the U.S. Army War College. After more
than 30 years of active duty, Dr. Parks retired at the rank of Colonel in December 2013. Military retirement did not end his desire for public service. Post-retirement, he pursued a career in education and taught German at Kaiserslautern HS in Germany. In 2015, he earned an MA in school administration with high distinction after completing an internship at Ramstein High School. He is a certified administrator for elementary, middle, and high school. He has also taught 7th grade English in the US.
In 2016, he began coursework at Auburn University. In 2017-18, he served as the Graduate Student Council Vice President for Student Affairs; in 2018, he received the AU Parents’ Association Faculty and Staff Award; in 2019, he received a “More than Auburn” (service organization) Instructor Award for commitment to ethical standards and integrity; in 2022, the College of Liberal Arts gave him the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) of the Year Award. In October 2021, in Jordan-Hare Stadium, he was honored as a “Game Day Hero”. He completed his PhD in Public Administration and Public Policy in August 2022 with Areas of Concentration in Global Policy and Public Administration. In 2024, he received two Mortar Board Excellence in Teaching Awards. He has also taught an online summer course on Soviet/Russian Diplomatic Policy at Indiana University. Dr. Parks and his wife Debbie have five adult children and two adorable Cavapoo puppies (Louie and Cricket).