Parker Blackwell
Executive Assistant
Parker Blackwell serves as the Executive Assistant at The Antiquities Coalition. Working closely with the Executive Director, Parker supports critical research initiatives, contributes to key publications, and facilitates work with representatives from the U.S. government, academics, and international partners.
Parker plays a pivotal role in the AC’s operations by supporting development goals, managing non-profit resources, and ensuring effective administration across the organization. Her background in critical heritage studies and research on the African art market supports academic-caliber research and reporting on illicit antiquities trade and global organized crime. As outreach lead, she creates blog posts, infographics, and social media content to reach new audiences and raise awareness of key issues and opportunities related to art crime, looting, and cultural racketeering. Parker also helps edit and publish the Antiquities Coalition’s award-winning Think Tank Policy Brief series.
Former roles at the Penn Museum’s Cultural Heritage Center and The George Washington Museum and Textile Museum cemented her commitment to domestic and international heritage preservation, both in times of peace and conflict. Parker has published multiple articles focusing on heritage protection, art history, and Near Eastern archaeology. Her current research investigates the West African art market and transnational organized crime, with a particular focus on postcolonial inequities, market regulation, and entanglements between the antiquities and wildlife trade in the Republic of Cameroon.
As a Gates Cambridge Scholar, Parker earned a Master of Philosophy in Heritage Studies from the University of Cambridge, following a distinguished academic career at The George Washington University where she graduated with a BA in Archaeology and Classical and Near Eastern Studies.