Dr. Thomas A. Parham is the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs as well as an adjunct faculty member at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to his current position, he served as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Counseling & Health Services, Counseling Center Director, and Director of the Career and Life Planning Center at UCI. Before returning to UCI in 1985, Dr. Parham held an appointment on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is a licensed psychologist in the State of California, manages a small private practice, has served as a Treating Clinician for the NFL's Program for Substances of Abuse, and speaks and trains throughout the United States and abroad.

For the past 30 plus years, Dr. Parham has focused his research efforts in the area of psychological nigrescence and has authored numerous articles in the area. Writing in the areas of identity development, African Psychology, and multicultural counseling remains his primary focus.

He has been interviewed and quoted extensively, in regional and national newspapers and magazines. He has also participated in the 2005 State of the Black Union hosted by Tavis Smiley which aired on the CSPAN network and appeared in the recent film, "Fair Game" (2010), Directed and produced by Mario Van Peebles. In characterizing him, some have written: "Parham is a gifted and charismatic speaker in the tradition of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Indeed, for many his presence as a public figure is transformative; the power of his innate humanity and manifest love conveying an overwhelming sense of acceptance and understanding. You feel a great many things in the presence of Dr. Parham; mostly, you just feel better". (Mears, 2002).

A celebrated psychologist and author, his honors and awards are numerous. A sample of them includes: the 1988 Research/Scholarship Award from the National Association of Black Psychologists; 1989 Research Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association's Minority Fellowship Program; receipt of the Research Award for Contributions to the Counseling Profession from the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development in 1991; election to Fellow status of Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) of the American Psychological Association in 1994, and Fellow status in Division 45 in 1997; the Samuel H. Johnson Award for Exemplary Service and Scholarship from the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development in 1995; the Exemplary Community Service Award from the Orange County, CA Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P.; his election to the title of "Distinguished Psychologist" by the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi's highest honor) in 1998; the APA "Dalmus Taylor Award" for Leadership, Scholarship, and Advising in 1999; and a University of California "Lauds and Laurels" award (one of UCI's most distinguished honors) for staff achievement in 2003; the Association of Black Psychologists, Certification and Proficiency in African Centered/Black Psychology - Board Certified Fellow and Board Certified Diplomate, July, 2007; the American Psychological Association - Division 17 - Society of Counseling Psychology Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring, August, 2007; the 100 Black Men of America's Wimberly Award in 2008; an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Phillips Graduate Institute in 2009, and the Janet E. Helms Award for Mentorship and Scholarship in 2010.