Cynthia Silva Parker is a seasoned capacity builder with more than three decades of experience strengthening organizations and equipping leaders who pursue social justice and racial equity. She finds great joy in the ah-ha moments when people learn a new skill or connect their lived experiences to new ideas. She loves guiding groups to deeper understanding and solid agreements about things that matter. And it’s a great day when she can connect good people to one another and to resources to support their work.
Cynthia has served as a senior associate at the Interaction Institute for Social Change since 1998, delivering facilitation, training, consulting, and coaching services in the nonprofit, public, and philanthropic sectors. She also has led or co-led the development of several IISC workshops, including Advancing Racial Justice in Organizations, the Fundamentals of Facilitation for Racial Justice Work and Collaborative Social Change.
Cynthia’s prior leadership experiences include director of Boston Freedom Summer, the Ten Point Coalition’s faith-based youth develop project, and project administrator for the Algebra Project, Inc., a national education reform network fighting for quality education as a civil right. Currently, she serves as a volunteer with the Massachusetts Coordinating Committee of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
Current role