Reed is Rocking as MAPE’s New Public Relations Coordinator

New MAPE Public Relations Coordinator Parker Reed left the health care communications field to fight for Minnesota public servants. Reed has been with the union for nearly a month, and his first impressions are positive, "MAPE members have all been warm and welcoming and their passion for the union and workers in general has been very apparent," Reed said.

"What surprised me is the big difference between a structure-driven for-profit environment to a more goal-oriented one at MAPE. It's a unique environment where everyone is working for a similar purpose. It's not all about money, it's about developing those relationships and advocating for people," he added.

Reed said he's "always had a love for media and storytelling and that got me into journalism." His first reporting job was as sports editor for his college newspaper, The Spectator, at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. His first professional media job was at The Chippewa Herald in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Reed believes storytelling and music go hand in hand. He is a music lover, an avid concert goer and superfan of the band AC/DC, whom he has seen play in venues ranging from Australia to American cities including Las Vegas, Boston and Chicago.

He comes to his love of music naturally as his father is a drummer, so Reed said he was "always into music. The bands my dad listened to kind of rubbed off on me - '80s rock like Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue and Ratt."

Reed has been in his own band since 2019 where he plays guitar and sings, "We had a group called Parker Reed and the Lucid Dreamers. We've played all over Eau Claire and a few times in the Twin Cities. We are actively recording new music now and planning a 2027 relaunch."

"I'm not the best to ever pick up a guitar or a microphone, I just do it for fun," he jokingly added.

Reed is also a "big fan of physical media - movies and vinyl records" and owns thousands of records and movies. The film buff admits to seeing the recently released film "The Odyssey" four times already.

He grew up in Eau Claire, WI, and currently lives in Eden Prairie with an orange cat named Squirt, "a good roommate even though he doesn't pay rent." In addition to listening to music and watching films, he enjoys traveling and performing music.