Deborah L. Parker is Chief Inspirer and Principal Consultant of The DPJ Training Group, a motivational speaking, leadership and personal development company based in the Metropolitan Washington DC area. For over fifteen years she has provided numerous workshops and coaching programs for federal, Department of Defense and private sector clients. Viewing herself as someone who uses the wits and gifts God gave her to be of service, Deborah helps others grow professionally and personally into their next season. Building on a career life that has taken her to positions as a social worker, Army reserve officer, corporate manager, and now entrepreneur and author, Deborah understands what it means to lead and make a change, sometimes the hard way. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from the College of William and Mary and an M.

A. in Human Resources from George Mason University. Deborah is now a retired Lieutenant Colonel, US Army Reserve, and has also completed the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. The author of three other books, a motivational memoir entitled Navigating Life's Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey, released in July 2011, Deborah shares poignant narratives about her setbacks and successes, to include honoring the lessons from her family and heroes that provide her solid identity. And in Life Is a Review: Observations and Collections of My Passages Through the Times, released in June of 2012, she invites readers to browse her twenty-five-year compilation of essays, blogs, speeches, and poems around family, career, history and relationships. And in October 2012, Deborah released For People of Strength, Soul, and Spirit: Seven Guidelines for Life & Career Success, a work she revised from 1996 that robustly offers a platform for goal achievement through historical context of the African American experience.

Staying connected in the community, Deborah is a member of Military Officers Association of America, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Metro DC Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Herndon Virginia. When taking a break, Deborah enjoys travel, reading, and long walks.