Entrepreneur and prison reform advocate
Don Parrett was born and raised in southwest Missouri. He dropped out of high school, joined the military and eventually received his GED at age 27. Since then, he has pursued college coursework. Although he has had little formal education, he developed a passion for entrepreneurship and a keen sense for understanding marketing and consumer trends. He started, and successfully ran, several small businesses in Springfield, Missouri.
Though a firm believer in the justice system, Parrett ran afoul of it and was convicted of a federal crime. He received a 60-month sentence as a non-violent offender, served in the Federal Prison Camp at Leavenworth, Kansas. He was released in May 2018. He is working on a book about prison and justice reform, and he hopes to make a positive impact in the arena of reform.