Dia Parker is the Executive Director of Athena’s Warehouse, an Atlanta based nonprofit dedicated to the fight for equitable success pathways for young women and gender nonconforming youth ages 14-24. Since 2013, Dia has led small remote and hybrid teams, written grants, developed and evaluated health based programs. Dia was born and raised in Atlanta, GA her mother raised her to be an activist from an early age and in 2015 when their family was gentrified from their home of 15 years in the newly founded city, Brookhaven, she began working with other organizers to create Los Vecinos de Buford Hwy, a nonprofit dedicated to educating tenants who speak Spanish as their primary language about their rights. She will never forget how amidst the chaotic gentrification event her mother attempting to explain to other tenants that they had a right to reclaim their deposit, since the landlord had broken the lease, this small piece of information would have put $400-650 back into the hands of families desperately searching for new housing. Yet they left those dollars behind in a panic, some under the misconception they were being evicted. 

At 29 years old, Dia has spent over a decade immersed daily in service to her community. She has been privileged to earn her Bachelors of Science at Oglethorpe University in 2017 and recently completed a Masters of Arts in Social Innovation at Agnes Scott College in December of 2022 with a Certificate in Evaluation & Assessment. Dia also sits on the Board of Cross Keys Foundation as the Scholarship Committee Chair. Each week you can find Dia at the co-working Space in Midtown Atlanta, The Lola or at her alma mater, Cross Keys high school mentoring and educating youth.