Parker School announces two new board members

WAIMEA — Parker School welcomes two new members to serve on their board of directors, Jonathan Mitchell and Parker School parent Surinder Brar. Their terms are effective immediately.

Brar became an independent strategy consultant after spending more than 30 years with Silicon Valley companies. He spent the last 15 of these with Cisco Systems. He has held senior management positions at both private and publicly held technology companies and spoken at numerous industry conferences. Brar has lived on the Big Island since 2011, his wife served as president of Parker School’s parent organization and his son is a senior at the school.

“We have been very pleased with the opportunities Parker provided our son to grow academically, socially and athletically. It is a gem of a school,” he said.

Mitchell is the manager of corporate development at Parker Ranch Inc. and oversees emerging business development, alternative land use and renewable energy opportunities. Previously he worked at Apple Inc. and Janus Capital Group. Originally from Colorado, he also serves on the board of directors at the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Committee of the Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference and is a fellow of the Consortium for Graduate Study of Management, The Toigo Foundation, and Management Leadership for Tomorrow. He and his wife, Dr. Janet Mitchell OD, are astronomy and science enthusiasts and enjoy traveling.

With a passion for education and learning, Mitchell said, “I am excited to be a part of the special sense of place and building the unique learning community that Parker School fosters among its students, faculty, staff and parents. I am inspired by Parker School’s focus on creating opportunities to engage in experiential learning and making real-world connections with the curriculum, making education impactful for its students and building their capacity to create meaningful change in the world.”