Elizabeth Shun-Ching Parks, PhD
Associate Dean of Academic & Student Services718-486-4225 | esparks4@coloradomtn.edu
Pronouns: She/Her
Education
- PhD Communication, University of Washington
- MA Communication, University of Washington
- MA Deaf Studies: Cultural Studies, Gallaudet University
- BA Communication Studies, Creighton University
- AAS Sign Language Interpreting, Iowa Western Community College
Professional Societies Membership
- National Communication Association
- National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity
- International Coaching Federation
- International Listening Association
- Center for Intercultural Dialogue
- Global Listening Centre
Personal Interests
Dr. Elizabeth S. Parks is an Associate Dean of Academic & Student Services at Colorado Mountain College and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Community & Behavioral Health at Colorado State University. Her research and teaching blends mixed method social scientific approaches and inquiry grounded in the humanities to better understand how we can improve listening across diversity and difference through both face-to-face and digital engagement in the pursuit of individual and community well-being. Her scholarship is grounded in the belief that our individual, relational, and organizational lives are enriched by bravely pursuing spacious listening from our own intersectional standpoints while attuning closely to the cultural identities of others. She has published over 50 academic articles and chapters, and her first book, "The Ethics of Listening: Creating Space for Sustainable Dialogue," was published in 2019.
Parks is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and is committed to creating academic environments that are not just spaces for deep thinking, but also places where ideas impact individual lives and theories change community processes. As a pragmatist, she strives to lean into paradoxical questions to better understand the values, attitudes, and skills that can make intercultural dialogue a challenging but constructive practice for everyone. When not at work, you'll likely find her hiking or skiing in the mountains, playing around with a stringed instrument, on an international adventure, reading continental philosophy, or playing strategic board games with friends over a strong brew.
