Gayle Parker
Circuit Clerk

Elected: 1991
Current Term Ends: 12/31/2015

Gayle Parker is a native and life long resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast having proudly and diligently served the citizens of Harrison County since 1992.

Since taking office, Ms. Parker has consistently strived to develop and implement new technologies to promote optimum efficiency within the Office of the Circuit Clerk.

Under her leadership, advances in the creation of electronic court records, streamlined election processes, and improved voter communication have taken place.

On May 19th, 2011, Gayle Parker was honored for her courage and commended for her diligence and integrity by being awarded the 2011 Outstanding Public Servant Award by Innocence Project New Orleans.

Through the Innocence Project, Larry Ruffin, Bobby Ray Dixon, and Phillip Bivens were exonerated last year, for a crime that none of them committed, after serving 83 years in prison between them. The preservation of evidence in all criminal cases is vital to our justice system. Ms. Parker had the foresight, to initiate such a policy in the Circuit Clerk's Office, upon taking office in 1992.

Mr. Phillip Bivens was incarcerated for thirty (30) years; almost half his life. The evidence which exonerated Mr. Bivens, had been preserved in the Harrison County Circuit Clerk's vault, for almost 3 decades. The exoneration of these individuals, was a direct result of Ms. Parker's unwavering commitment and service as the Circuit Clerk.

Ms. Parker is deeply committed to community public service and has participated and served on numerous committees and task forces including:

• State Task Force on Statewide Voter Registration System
• Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women
• State Task Force on Gender Fairness
• State Task Force on E-Government
• KIDS Voting USA in Harrison County
• Leadership Gulf Coast
• Rotary Foundation
• Family Child Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse
• Goodwill Industries

Having completed hundreds of hours in Court Management at the National Judicial College and the Institute for Court Management, Ms. Parker's work and dedication has been recognized throughout the state and region including:

• Innocence Project New Orleans Outstanding Public Servant Award - 2011
• Leadership Gulf Coast Award - 1999
• Mississippi Justice Achievement Award
• Liberty Bell Award (Mississippi State Bar of Young Lawyers)
• Mississippi Court Administrators Association - 1st President
• Gulf Coast Woman of Achievement
• U.S Constitution Bill of Rights - National Competition
• Paul Harris Fellow
• National Association for Court Management

Gayle is a parishioner of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Long Beach, the mother of three daughters, and the grandmother to four grandchildren.