A Parker native and long-time resident, Wilks was part of the inaugural graduating class of Chaparral High School. She and her husband, Cory, own a local real estate business and reside in Parker’s Idyllwilde neighborhood with their four children. Brandi is in her first term as a Parker Town Councilmember, having been elected to office in 2022.
What is your best memory serving on Town Council?
One of my greatest memories was the first time I went to Washington, D.C. to present and advocate for the School Resource Officer funding legislation.
I still remember walking into those congressional offices and thinking about how something that started as an idea back home had made its way all the way to the halls of Congress. There was something incredibly meaningful about that moment. I wasn’t just there representing myself or talking about my bill, I was giving Parker a voice and making sure our community had a seat at the table.
After nearly three years of working to develop the legislation, seeing it make its way into Congress was incredibly rewarding. It also reminded me of something I will never forget: one person really can make a difference. An idea that started with one person in Parker had the potential to grow into something that could help cities and communities across the country.
What made that experience even more meaningful was knowing I had the full support of such a strong group of fellow Councilmembers along the way. Having them behind me gave me even greater confidence to carry Parker’s voice all the way to Washington, D.C. Now, seeing 4 bipartisan members of Congress working to turn that concept into actual legislation has become my favorite council memory (so far).
What is a skill you once saw as a weakness that has become a strength?
My brain has always processed information extremely quickly. For a long time, I actually viewed that as a weakness because I would have to consciously slow myself down when I was working with people who needed more time to process the same information. As I’ve gotten older and gained more experience, I’ve realized it’s actually one of my greatest strengths.
I’m able to take in a lot of information, analyze the facts and possible outcomes, and get to the heart of an issue fairly quickly. That helps me move conversations toward solutions instead of getting stuck in the problem.
What I’ve really learned, though, is that I don’t need to slow my brain down. I need to make sure I’m giving the people around me the space to process things in their own way and at their own pace. That lesson has made me better in every part of my life, whether I’m talking something through with my husband or kids, helping a client as a Realtor, serving in the community, or sitting on Council.
I’ve genuinely learned to appreciate this part of myself. I jokingly call it my superpower now, but I really do see it that way.
What is your favorite thing about your hometown?
Parker isn’t just where I live. It is my hometown, and as a third-generation Parker native, there are so many things I love about this community that it is hard to choose just one.
Some of my favorite memories are the simple ones. I remember running around Downtown with my cousins, stopping at Mountain Man, which is now The Local, to get candy before heading to the park. I remember doing theater productions in the Quonset hut, riding horses around Parker with my Papa, and growing up in a community where so many places, people, and traditions became part of my story.
What makes that even more special is that I get to watch my four kids grow up here too. I have the unique opportunity to carry three generations of Parker memories, values, and history into a fourth, while watching them create memories of their own.
Parker has grown tremendously, and there are so many things I could say I love about it. But at the end of the day, my favorite thing is that no matter how big Parker gets, it still has a way of feeling like a small hometown. You still run into people you know, you still feel connected to your neighbors, and there is still a sense that this is more than just a place on a map. That feeling of home is what I work hard to make sure we never lose.
Which member of Council would you be stuck on an island with?
I would be fine being stuck on an island with any of them, and I genuinely mean that.
One of the things I appreciate most about THIS Council is that we can listen to each other, understand different points of view, and work through disagreements without making things personal or political. We may not always see an issue the same way, but at the end of the day, we all care deeply about Parker and want what is best for the community as a whole. I think that mutual respect is a big part of why this Council works so well.
So if I were stuck on an island with any of them, I think we’d be just fine. Now, whether we’d all agree on how to get off the island is another question.
What do you wish more people understood about you?
I wish more people understood that I am a very facts-based person, and that is something that carries through every part of my life.
Whether I am making a decision as a business owner, a mom, a wife, or a Councilwoman, I tend to approach things the same way. I want to understand the facts, hear different perspectives and look at the bigger picture before I decide where I stand. I naturally think through the possible outcomes, both good and bad, because I know that decisions, even small ones, can affect other people.
I do not like to make assumptions or form an opinion based on the first thing I hear. I want to understand the whole story. On Council, that means trying to understand how a decision could affect thousands of people with very different needs and perspectives.
Sometimes that may look like overthinking, but for me it is really about responsibility. The people in my life matter deeply to me, and when a decision affects them, my business, my family, or my community, I want to know that I took the time to think it through. I want people to know that there is thought, care, and intention behind the choices I make. That is simply how I am wired.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received is this: if someone who doesn’t really know me has already decided they have a problem with me, that is more about them than it is about me.
That took me a long time to fully understand.
I’ve learned that my life is simply too short to spend my energy worrying about a negative opinion from someone who has never met me, never had a conversation with me, and doesn’t really know who I am. If there is truth in criticism, I want to hear it and learn from it. But if it is just judgment from a distance, I’ve learned not to carry it with me.
What I can control is how I show up. I stay kind, work hard, treat people well, stay true to my values, and remain open to learning when there is something I genuinely need to improve.
What question do you wish people would ask you more often?
I wish people would ask me, “What makes you happy?”
I think we spend so much time talking about what needs to be fixed, what’s going wrong and what we disagree about that we sometimes forget to talk about the things that bring us joy. I’d love for people to ask me what I’m passionate about, what excites me, and what I’m looking forward to.
And more than just sharing those things, I want to bring people into them. I want the people around me to experience that same sense of excitement, possibility and optimism. Life is too short to focus only on what’s wrong. There is so much good happening around us, and so much more good we can create.
I think we should ask each other that question more often. When we understand what brings someone happiness, we get to know a completely different side of them, and maybe we find a little more common ground along the way. That’s the kind of connection I want to create with the people around me.
