Board of Directors

Margaret L. Parkerson, Director 

Margaret “Maggie” Parkerson divides her time between Suffolk, Virginia and Fayston, Vermont where she and her husband Charles “Charlie” have owned a ski house for 30 years. She was a systems analyst for Newport News Shipbuilding during the 1970’s, and has also worked part-time in human resources at Lancaster Farms, a successful nursery business in Virginia that her husband started in 1969.

After raising their three children, Maggie, who has a degree in mathematics from Mary Baldwin College, became involved with teaching higher math to homeschooled children for 10 years. She is also gifted with a knack for writing and was instrumental in editing Ruth’s doctoral dissertation.  Today she is Chairman of the Parkerson Foundation, a family philanthropic organization. She served as Secretary on the Board of Everyone’s Child from 2009 – 2015 and Chairman of the Board from 2015 – 2021.

Maggie is an international traveler. She has visited most of the continents of the world, touring nurseries with the International Plant Propagators Society.

While she has not yet traveled to Kenya, after reading Ruth’s thesis Maggie was also moved by the importance for communities to have clean drinking water.  She has always had a heart for education, seeing the need for better educational practices in countries like South Africa and Thailand.

Maggie’s three children are grown and married and have given her and Charlie 11 grandchildren. In her spare time she likes to learn new things – taking on tasks such as upholstering. She also loves to read, swim and knit for all of her grandchildren.