Ex-commissioner to lobby for SPJC

By MONIQUE FIELDS

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 22, 2000

Just hours after Sallie Parks' term as a Pinellas County commissioner ended, she accepted a job Tuesday as a lobbyist for St. Petersburg Junior College.

Parks will become the college's acting executive assistant to the president in charge of government relations on Nov. 29. She was introduced to the SPJC Board of Trustees at a regular meeting Tuesday morning.

About a week ago, SPJC President Carl Kuttler approached her about the job. He was impressed with her background, and the timing was right. Parks had been appointed to the board of the state's welfare agency, Work and Gain Economic Self-Sufficiency, by the late Gov. Lawton Chiles and Gov. Jeb Bush, giving her state expertise on an issue the college is paying a lot of attention to these days. She also had promised she would not sit on the commission for more than eight years, leaving her job calendar open.

Kuttler quickly moved to sign her onto his team.

"Her reputation is stellar in this community from both sides of the aisle," he said, referring to Democrats and Republicans.

Parks, 64, replaces Michael Richardson, who is on medical leave. She will be paid an annual salary of $76,500, the same amount she received as a commissioner, but less than her predecessor, who made between $80,000 and $90,000 a year, Kuttler said. She will be employed by SPJC at least until June 30, but it's not clear whether her relationship with the college will become permanent.

Parks, who was public relations and marketing director for Mease Health Care for 11 years before joining the commission, said she received several job offers. But only one, she said, presented an opportunity to do something that counts. She will monitor several local and state agencies that mold education policy, making sure that legislators and other leaders know the impact of strong educational institutions.

"That's what appeals to me," said Parks, who considers herself an education advocate. "It's something that makes a difference in the community for my children and grandchildren."

Her newest endeavor was met with enthusiasm by one of her former colleagues.

"I think Sallie will help Carl Kuttler with the lobbying effort and keep up with what's going on in Tallahassee," said Pinellas Commissioner Calvin Harris, who worked for SPJC from 1970 until retiring as an administrator in 1997. "Too often, education gets caught in a vacuum."

Parks is also looking forward to working for Kuttler and said she is sure to need a good pair of running shoes just to keep up with him.

"I'm very excited," she said, adding that Kuttler is creative and "has really shown a lot of leadership in the county, not just in education, but in his ability to put together collaborations."

Her previous experience is likely to come in handy for at least one project.The college plans to build an Epicenter, a $22-million technology and business development facility, across from the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport to help train and retrain workers in Pinellas County. The effort is a joint product between the county and the college. "Her knowledge of work force (issues) is acute and profound," Kuttler said, "and it will benefit those in this county who have not gotten their fair share of work force education funds."

- Times staff writer Edie Gross contributed to this report.

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