A recipient of the the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for broadcasting excellence, investigative reporter Terri Parker has been with WPBF since 1995.

After graduating with distinction from the University of Virginia, Terri began her news career as an editor and weekend reporter at WPEC in West Palm Beach. A year later, Terri moved to WPTV in West Palm Beach, where she was the south county reporter and weekend producer. Three years later, she was in Miami, working as a general assignment reporter at WTVJ.

Terri took a break from reporting for six years when she got married and opted to stay home with her two young daughters. But the lure of news called, and Terri jumped back in. Since then, she has reported on national stories ranging from the Nathaniel Brazill school shooting, hurricanes Irene and Floyd, and the election 2000 controversy.

One of Terri's proudest moments came when her investigation, "The R.N. Factor," uncovered a lack of school nurses in Palm Beach County schools. Six weeks after the report aired, the Palm Beach County Health Care District voted to pay for placing a nurse in every school. The HCD credited Terri's report for the change and the Florida School Boards' Association honored Terri with its media award for individual reporting for excellent coverage of public education.

Terri has received numerous other awards during her career, including the Edward R. Murrow Award for her four-year investigation into the Singer Island murder mystery and a 2003 Emmy for her story about a Port St. Lucie woman who could not receive medical help for fatal tumors. She also received the Florida Associated Press Individual Achievement Award in 2004 and 1998, and the Florida Bar media award for her reports investigating a medicare-bilking chiropractic ring. Terri was also the lead story reporter when WPBF won the Edward R Murrow and Associated Press Best Newscasts awards in 1996.

During her time at WPBF, Terri has often investigated the plight of children. She broke the beginning stories concerning the beating death of 2-year-old Joshua Saccone, whose murder resulted in a statewide Department of Children and Families shakeup and the firing of dozens of caseworkers and supervisors.

Terri also specializes in rescuing lost and abused animals and has conducted exclusive investigations into the abuse of horses used in Premarin production, the abuse of chickens in the egg farming industry, as well as secret dog-fighting rings in Okeechobee. Terri also broke the story of an illegal puppy mill located in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach, which was eventually shut down with hundreds of dogs rescued.

Active in her community, Terri serves on the board of Opportunity Inc., a low-income preschool center for disadvantaged children. She is also on the board of "Plunge Against the Grunge," an environmental group, and has volunteered as an elementary school mentor for the Literacy Coalition. She serves as an emcee for various animal, childhood and health causes.

When not involved in investigations, Terri enjoys reading mysteries and writing her own plots. She stays busy diving, painting and spending time with her daughters, Pascal and Paris.

If you have a story idea, please send Teri an e-mail at tparker@wpbf.com.