MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | MAY 2002

ANITA PARRAN:
THEY WERE THINKING OF ANITA WHEN THEY COINED THE TERM
ALWAYS ON THE GO

By Kim Broers

Somehow she made room for me. Somewhere in the eight-inch-thick planner she hoists in her latest briefcase/handbag, she scribbled in a two-hour slot to answer impertinent questions and sketch her life for the curious of the AWC Kansas City chapter.

Perhaps you think I exaggerate, gentle reader. Well, I do ... but not in this case. Anita Parran is a smiling dervish of a business woman, all charm and speed and off-to-another-appointment. She arrived, not terribly late, from a regular meet-and-eat session at Channel 41, just one of her many professional affiliations.

I will not list all the titles and appointments she has. Suffice it to say that she wears hats in a quantity to rival a certain Philippines shoe collection. Her primary job is as Associate State Director at AARP, which involves advocacy issues, volunteer management, program implementation, development of communications and marketing materials ... and travel.

This is a woman who claims that she invited all her boyfriends to her wedding. Some of them actually attended.

She also founded a home-based business four years ago in media, public relations and writing. That business is known as KK Charles, a name whose origin is known only to Anita and her boyfriend of many years. She met him first in college and re-met him during a stressful time in her personal life 15 years ago.

That old and new and now-established boyfriend's name is Clinton. She calls him "the big guy." If you have followed the unending travails of the Kansas City School District, you'll recognize his name. Hint: He's an attorney, and he really is a big guy, six feet one and upwards of 250 pounds. I only mention him because Anita does, often.

Stylishly dressed and dramatic, Anita freely confesses her affinity for thrift shops; and scarves, in particular. (This is someone whom Marilyn Ebersole has always referred to as "that beautiful woman, Anita Parran.")

As exotic and elegant as Anita appears, she claims she's no match for Clinton when it comes to sartorial elegance. Ask her to tell you how her finicky, fashionable beau invariably ends up returning the clothing she buys for him - she's quite open about sharing such stories. Perhaps you'll also get to hear about her wretch of an ex-husband, forever referred to as "Warren thpteu," which is as close as I can get to the sound she makes while turning her head to the side and pretending to spit.

Anita grew up in St. Louis and graduated from Stephens College, an all-female private school in Columbia, Mo. She did stints in public relations and business marketing at Ralston-Purina and Southwestern Bell, and earned her graduate degree from Webster University. A certified trainer for direct community organizing, she directs team facilitating for AARP. A member of the board at The Central Exchange, she was named as the only public member of the Missouri Pharmacy Board.

Involved with the Urban League and the Stop Violence/Kindness is Contagious campaign, she recently wrote a chapter for The State of Black Kansas City 2002. She serves on numerous committees, has held every office in AWC, and served as president of the Kansas City WICI chapter, overseeing a 25 percent jump in membership during her term. "I had a fabulous time being president," she exclaims in arch, Anita-like fashion.

And of course, she was very GOOD at being president, since she's highly organized and disciplined. "It's a matter of focus," she explains, and I write down "It's not a high-wire act if you know how to juggle." More than methodical, Anita is a high-energy individual, apparent through her mobile face and expressive gestures. Her polish and easy, bright smile do not obscure the fact that she is very well connected, both in terms of contacts and accessibility: Her phone bill alone runs thousands of dollars a year.

Like the big guy who shares her life, Anita is an extremely busy professional with a tight schedule. For those of you who may still be wondering what the secret is to a long relationship, I asked her. "We are such different people," she muses. "I suppose it's the little, supportive things." Pause. "We quit trying to change one another."

To the list of adjectives that Anita attracts—extroverted, efficient, assertive, well-known, personable—add another: savvy.