Kent Parker

Website:  http://www.ariba.com

Bio Information

Kent Parker is Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Ariba, Inc. (NASD: ARBA), the leading provider of spend management software and services solutions based in Sunnyvale, CA. In this role, Mr. Parker oversees all of the company’s global operations, including software engineering and development, product and solutions management, global professional services, customer and technical services, IT and network hosting operations, information security operations, and global operations management. Prior to Ariba, Mr. Parker’s professional experience includes a wide range of roles in engineering, operations, and business management, including serving as Senior Vice President of Global Sourcing Services of Executive Officer at FreeMarkets, Inc., a publicly traded supply management services and software company. Prior to FreeMarkets, Mr. Parker helped build and grow Caribou Coffee Company, a privately-held national retail chain with over 200 company-owned stores throughout the United States, where he served as Vice President reporting to the CEO/founder. At Caribou Coffee, Mr. Parker was responsible for the company’s coffee program, as well as all manufacturing, supply chain management, distribution, and commercial business groups. Prior to Caribou Coffee, Mr. Parker held numerous leadership and management positions in engineering, manufacturing, strategic sourcing and procurement, program management, and sales at Textron Inc and United Technologies Carrier Corporation.

Mr. Parker holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Evansville and an M.B.A from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.

While juggling a busy travel schedule, Mr. Parker maintains his personal residence in New Harmony, IN, with his wife Laurie and son Benjamin while their daughter Heather is a resident of NYC. An avid lover of the arts and history, he is involved in numerous local organizations and foundations, and serves on several boards including the University of Southern Indiana (USI) Foundation, Global Enterprise in Indiana / University of Evansville, the Hoosier Salon New Harmony Advisory Board (President), New Harmony Under the Beams Music Series, Historic New Harmony / New Harmony Foundation, Harmonie Associates, The New Harmony Project, and New Harmony Center for the Arts, Inc. Mr. Parker is also active in numerous business and economic development ventures in New Harmony and southern Indiana. As a member of New Harmony Vision, LLC, Mr. Parker joins three other local business partners in various economic development projects, the most recent of which is a unique residential housing community in New Harmony called Church Street Commons. Mr. Parker is also a partner in New Harmony Future, LLC, which owns and operates the Harmonie Haus Cinema and Apartment Complex on Main Street in New Harmony. Mr. Parker also owns a property management company called New Harmony Enterprises, LLC, which owns and oversees farm and development properties in the southern Indiana region. Outside of Indiana, Mr. Parker is a board member of the software start-up company aPriori, based in Concord, MA, and is a limited partner in Meakem-Becker Venture Capital of Sewickly, PA.