Wilbur Parker Inclusion Award

Originally known as the Wilbur Parker Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognized African-American alumni who demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to their community, it was renamed the Wilbur Parker Inclusion Award in 2025, which recognizes alumni who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a strong commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within Johnson and the business world. Through their leadership and contributions, they inspire others to embrace diversity and create thriving communities for all.

About Wilbur Parker

Wilbur Parker ’50, MBA ’50, was Cornell’s first African-American MBA Graduate and inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johnson’s Black Graduate Business Association, which was subsequently named in his honor. Mr. Parker spent his career working to make a difference, combating racial injustice and helping others. A World War II veteran, he was one of the U.S. Army Air Force’s famed Tuskegee Airmen. In 1954, he became the first black CPA in the state of New Jersey and went on from there to break new ground in his hometown of Newark as the city’s first African-American budget director in 1962, then the first African-American secretary of its Board of Education in 1970. Parker marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Washington, D.C., central mall in 1963.

To nominate an alumna or alumnus for the Wilbur Parker Inclusion Award, please fill out the online nomination form.