Gregory S. Parks was born and raised on Long Island, New York along with his three sisters.  He attended elementary school where his mother served as a teacher and middle school where his father served as a teacher and assistant principal. After graduating from high school, Dr. Parks' father became assistant principal of the high school Dr. Parks had attended.

Dr. Parks holds an M.A., an M.S., and a Ph.D. (all in Psychology) and a J.D. He has served as a law clerk on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  Currently, Dr. Parks is a Visiting Fellow at Cornell Law School.
 
Dr. Parks' primary research interest lies at the intersection of social and cognitive psychology, race, and law.  He is also interested in how the law relates to and has been shaped by African American fraternal organizations. Dr. Parks' scholarly books have been published with Oxford University Press, The New Press, the University Press of Kentucky, the University Press of Mississippi, and Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. His scholarly articles have appeared in such journals as: University of Pennsylvania Law Review (PENNumbra); Florida State Law Review; Cornell Journal of Law & Public Policy; Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology; Rutgers Race & Law Review; William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law; Hastings Women's Law Journal; and Psychology, Public Policy & Law.
 
Dr. Parks is member of a number of professional (i.e., law- and social science-related) and fraternal organizations. His hobbies include mixed martial arts and travel.