Mary Parks

Mary Parks is an emmy award winning journalist who has been covering news across southern California since 1992.

Updated 7:50 PM PST, Tue, Jul 28, 2009

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Mary Parks is an Emmy Award-winning journalist for NBC4 in Los Angeles. She is the Bureau Chief and Reporter for the fastest growing region of Southern California -- the Inland Empire. Parks joined NBC4 in 1994, and prior to that worked for KCBS as a reporter. She has also been a reporter in Florida, Indiana and Michigan.

Parks is the recipient of various journalism awards including local area Emmys, Golden Mikes, Associated press and Los Angeles Press Club honors.

Parks began her career in her home state of Michigan more than 24 years ago. She worked as a radio reporter before transitioning into her television journalism career. Over the years Parks has covered space shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral, East Coast hurricanes, as well as Los Angeles earthquakes, wildfires and riots. As a reporter in Florida, Parks reported on the search, capture and trial of America's first female serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Wuornos was later the subject of the Hollywood movie "Monster" starring Charlize Theron. In 2005, Parks wrote and produced a mini-documentary, "Journey of Hope," detailing the separation of rare conjoined twins. Parks is also a children's book author.

Committed to community service, Parks donates her time serving various Inland Empire organizations such as Inland AIDS project, Loma Linda Children's Hospital and Olive Crest Homes and Services for Abused Children. She has been involved with Special Olympics in several states and, in 1993, then Governor Pete Wilson appointed Parks to a special commission that advocated for the rights of the developmentally disabled.

Parks also established a scholarship in her Michigan hometown to encourage high school students in performing community service. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University and Southwestern Michigan College.