Matthew Parker, President of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, will provide the keynote address at TROY Dothan’s Spring Commencement on Sunday, May 18 at 3 p.m. at the Dothan Civic Center.

Over 100 undergrad and graduate students will receive their degrees during the ceremony. Tickets are not required.

Parker serves as the lead economic developer for new business development and support for existing industry in the Dothan area and has been professionally involved in economic and community development locally since 1989.

Through close working relationships at the local, state and federal levels, he has worked on initiatives that have enhanced the resources available to attract and support business in Alabama’s southeastern region. He continues working to create legislation to enhance economic development activities for manufacturing and aerospace.

Since working in economic development at the Dothan Area Chamber, the area has gained over 20,000 new jobs and $1.88 billion in industrial development investment. Parker has worked on projects and initiatives that brought $82 million in federal, state or foundation resources to enhance business development, infrastructure workforce development, education and more.

A few of his major accomplishments include: obtaining designation for the Dothan Regional Airport as an Airport Enhancement Zone; developing the Houston County Distribution Park; gaining 300 acres and building facilities through charitable contributions to gain more industrial property and revitalize existing industrial buildings; spearheaded Redeveloping Downtown Dothan (Phase I and II) and developed a localized incentive program for downtown development; gaining federal funding appropriation for interstate connector (1-10/Ross Clark Circle Phase II); developed the Dothan/Houston County Microloan Funding program with area banks and the State of Alabama; establishing Alabama Workforce Development Operation in Dothan at the Dothan Chamber with Southeast Alabama Works to serve a 10-county area on workforce development support for new and existing industry; and establishing General Purpose Foreign Trade Zone Number 233.

Throughout years of service, Parker has also served, or is currently serving, on numerous boards of various state and civic organizations, including Friends of Fort Rucker; The Education Foundation of Dothan’s Future Inc.; The Downtown Group; Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center; Workforce Investment Board for the state and local area; State of Alabama Enterprise Zone Advisory Board; State of Alabama Revolving Fund Committee; Southeast Alabama Council for Economic Development; Girl’s Inc.; Southeast Alabama Regional Development and Planning Commission; Southeast Alabama Regional Revolving Loan Fund Board; Grow Southeast Alabama; Economic Development Association of Alabama; Gov. Riley’s Existing Business Commission; and more.

A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Parker was recruited as a middle-distance runner at Auburn University where he was an ALL-SEC performer. He obtained his degree in public administration from Auburn University and an economic development certification from the University of Oklahoma. His continuing education work has been done at Troy University, and he is also a Leadership Alabama graduate and a Paul Harris Fellow.

He and his wife, Anne, have two children: a daughter, Maria, and a son, Chase.