Parkinson's father, Hank, worked in advertising, public relations and political consulting.

In 1996, Parkinson left his law practice to develop elder care facilities in Kansas and Missouri.

[4][7][6] In May 2006, Governor Kathleen Sebelius announced that Parkinson had switched parties and was her running mate for her reelection campaign, succeeding retiring Lieutenant Governor John E. Moore, also a former Republican who had switched parties shortly before he joined a ticket with Sebelius.

Parkinson's business experience and track record of working with both Republicans and Democrats were the reasons Sebelius stated for choosing him.

[4][8][1][9][7] As lieutenant governor, Parkinson focused a significant amount of time on energy issues.

As chairman of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Advisory Group, Parkinson helped decide how to spend federal stimulus funds allocated to Kansas.

[9][10][11] In March 2009, President Barack Obama announced Sebelius as his nominee for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

[12][13][14][1][6] During his time as governor, Parkinson had to implement spending cuts and tax increases in order to manage a budget deficit.

Under his leadership, the state developed a comprehensive energy policy including net metering, and a 10-year plan for maintaining transportation infrastructure.

[15][16][7] Citing his bipartisan support and ability to move the state forward in challenging economic times, The Topeka Capital-Journal named Parkinson "Kansan of the Year" in 2009.

[18][19][20][21] As of 2020, Parkinson is president and chief executive officer of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living.

Parkinson helped heal a major rift in the AHCA/NCAL and brought numerous providers who left to form their own association back into the fold.