April Parker

BIOGRAPHY

April Parker is a successful business executive and entrepreneur turned nonprofit leader.  With over 20 years of experience as a corporate executive in contract law, she is best known for her leadership and for creating such well-known brands as EDEN Bodyworks and April Parker Shoes.   

A native of the east coast, April grew up in the port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and witnessed firsthand the consequences of economically disinvested communities. Her dedication to serving others lead her to serve in the U.S. Army. After moving to Long Beach, California, in 2014, April observed socioeconomic disparities similar to those she witnessed growing up.  She founded the April Parker Foundation with a passion for problem-solving to address the disparities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in her community. 

Her foundation serves as a vital community resource, ensuring BIPOC and veteran community members obtain equitable access to essential resources and by providing advocacy and culturally engaging services that remove barriers to improve the health, social and economic outcomes of historically disinvested communities.    

April has degrees in Business and Law from Rowan University. Leveraging her extensive business background, she works with her community advisory committee to develop meaningful and impactful community programs. APCares provides social case management, rapid rehousing, and emergency financial relief; APWorks provides training, coaching, and technical assistance to Black businesses and other nonprofits; and APHealth provides cultural, gender and disability affirming health education and health navigation.   As a decorated and honorably discharged U.S. Army Veteran, April is committed to supporting the veteran community.  Her Veterans Emergency Temporary Stay (VETS) program provides critical housing and direct support to veterans transitioning into permanent housing.  

Wanting to inspire and equip the next generation, her foundation offers scholarships to high school BIPOC youth aspiring to attend college and youth entrepreneurship business camps that provide youth with foundational knowledge, resources, and support to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys. 

Mrs. Parker and her husband, John are proud foster parents who have helped dozens of foster families reunite. They have six biological adult daughters and eleven grandchildren and counting.