Tracy LaQuey Parker in 2014

Tracy LaQuey Parker is a Canadian-American businesswoman. She is the senior vice president at Parker Solutions Group. Before joining the company, LaQuey Parker worked for Cisco as a chief technology officer and started The UTeach Institute. Apart from her career, LaQuey Parker became the first person to win a lawsuit against a spammer and was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2017.

Early life and education

LaQuey Parker was born in Newfoundland on a United States Air Force base. After moving to Texas, she went to the University of Texas at Austin for a Bachelor of Arts degree and specialized in computer science.[1]

Career

In 1988, she started working for the University of Texas with the Texas Higher Education Network. While with the university, she was a part of the Texas Education Network in 1991 that connected Texan teachers to the Internet.[2] She left the university to work with Cisco Systems as a chief technology officer. While at Cisco, she was in charge of projects that introduced the Internet to schools globally.[1] After creating The UTeach Institute in 2006, LaQuey Parker went to Parker Solutions Group and became the Senior Vice President of the Business Development department.[3]

Apart from her technological career, LaQuey Parker authored The User's Directory of Computer Networks in 1988 and The Internet Companion in 1992.[4] In May 1997, LaQuey Parker was the lead plaintiff in a spamming lawsuit.[5] In the case, LaQuey Parker sued defendant Craig Nowak after he used her company website via email spoofing to send spam emails.[6] As a result, LaQuey Parker received over five thousand emails ranging from hate mail to bounced messages between March 31 and April 1, 1997.[7][8] After a November 1997 Texas District Court verdict ruled in favor of LaQuey Parker,[9] she became the first person to win a lawsuit against a spammer.[2]

Awards and honors

In 2017, LaQuey Parker was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "UTeach Advisory Council". University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Tracy LaQuey Parker". Internet Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Board of Directors". Texas Foundation For Innovative Communities. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  4. ^ Gallaga, Omar L. (26 October 2017). "Austin Internet pioneer Tracy LaQuey Parker on how it began and where we're going". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  5. ^ Girard, Kim (2 June 1997). "Ticked-off users head for court". Computerworld. p. 16. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Antispam efforts heat up". cnet. 14 November 1997. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  7. ^ Craddock, Ashley (29 May 1997). "Small-Time Spammer Slapped with Suit". Wired. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  8. ^ Lebkowsky, Jon (4 July 1997). "The Fight Against Unsolicited E-mail". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  9. ^ Parker v. C.N. Enterprises, No. 97-06273 (Travis Co. District Court, 1997)
  10. ^ "2017 Internet Hall of Fame Inductees". Internet Hall of Fame. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
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