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Kyle Parker Named New Vice Chancellor
(Posted: October 6, 2009) (Printable Version)
The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith has named businessman and technology consultant Kyle D. Parker, J.D., of Fort Smith to the new position of vice chancellor for planning and technology, effective immediately.
Parker, executive vice president for business development and strategic planning for Wolters Kluwer/Loislaw from 2001-2009, conceived and created in 1994 the first searchable legal information Internet site, loislaw.com.
Dr. Paul B. Beran, chancellor at UA Fort Smith, said Parker’s vision and expertise will be a tremendous asset to UA Fort Smith.
“Kyle has the drive and enthusiasm to move UA Fort Smith’s technology to an even higher level,” said Beran. “His industry experience will be invaluable to maximize our ability to leverage all of our technology talent and opportunities.”
Parker’s areas of responsibility at UA Fort Smith will include all areas of technology advancement.
Parker directed LOIS (Law Office Information Systems) from conception in 1989 to a 500-employee company. He took LOIS public in 1999, where the stock traded on NASDAQ. During his tenure with LOIS, he was recognized by numerous state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, for revolutionizing legal research throughout America and making it affordable.
Parker was the Southwest Finalist for the Ernest & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2000 and was recently inducted into the Arkansas Academy of Computing. Parker has had numerous articles written about his entrepreneurial works and has appeared on Bloomberg, CNN and PC-TV (CNNfn).
In 2001 he directed the sale of LOIS in excess of $100 million to Wolters Kluwer, an Amsterdam-based world publishing company. At the time of the acquisition, LOIS had more than 23,000 law firms, every accredited law school in the U.S. and every state appellate court, including the U.S. Supreme Court, as customers.
Parker began as a private practice attorney in 1986 and, while in law school, wrote the first artificial intelligence software (CLARA) ever granted a registered copyright for the legal profession. He then created a word search engine and digitized the Arkansas legal case opinions, statutory and regulatory laws in 1989 to release the first legal CD-ROM in history (CaseBase). He was recognized for this accomplishment by the Arkansas Bar Association with the Lawyer-Pioneer Award, the first and only time this award has been granted. He was also recognized with a resolution by the Arkansas Legislature and was awarded the Technology Award by the National Center for State Courts.
Parker resigned his position on the UA Fort Smith Board of Visitors to accept his new role at UA Fort Smith.
Parker, a graduate of Northside High School, received his bachelor’s degree from Arkansas Tech University and his law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H., an intellectual property law school. He and wife Renee have two children, Marshall and Christian.
| Article by: Sondra LaMar, Director of Public Relations | |
| Photo(s) by: Sondra LaMar |
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