Executive Director of Human Resources

As Executive Director of Human Resources, Helena Parks manages daily operations of the Human Resources Department, including the supervision of employee benefits administration. Parks engages in cross-departmental collaboration to ensure Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas is the employer of choice.

Before joining the Chesapeake & Carolinas team in 2025, Parks was the Senior Director of People Operations for several prominent operators of the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Office of Job Corps. Parks earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Wayne State University and a Master of Arts in Human Resources Management from Marygrove College, both located in Detroit. Furthermore, Parks is a certified member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Parks is a proud native Detroiter, who when not engaged in Human Resources, enjoys wellness and fitness endeavors, reading self-help and fiction literature, and being an exemplary “fur mama” to her German Shepherd, Breezy.