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Admiral Vern Clark
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| Admiral Clark completed a distinguished 37-year Navy career in 2005. His Navy experience is most unusual, having served over half his career in command starting with a Patrol Gunboat as a Lieutenant and concluding in the halls of the Pentagon as the Chief of Naval Operations and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In between he commanded ships, two destroyer squadrons, the Atlantic Fleet’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center, a carrier battle group, the Second Fleet, NATO’s Striking Fleet, and the Atlantic Fleet. His career is also marked by an unusual amount of joint service. In the decade of the 1990’s, seven of the 10 years were in the joint and combined area culminating in his assignment as the Director of the Joint Staff in Washington D.C. Admiral Clark’s tenure as CNO was a period of significant change and renewed vision. In addition, he was the first CNO to be extended in office in nearly half a century and became the second longest serving CNO in history. In 2002 he charted a course for the future by publishing Sea Power 21, a vision for the first half of the 21 st century to exploit the advantages of operating from the world’s oceans. He also spearheaded the development of a 21 st century human capital strategy, a significant human resource initiative revolutionizing the training and development for Navy personnel as well as the manpower resourcing and assignment processes within the Navy. He forged partnerships to better connect the Navy with industry to create a business mindset in the leadership team of the Navy. Admiral Clark has received numerous military decorations for his service including four awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, three Navy Distinguished Medals, and three awards of the Legion of Merit. Along with his Navy and Joint awards, he is most honored by two Distinguished Service Medals received from the Army and Air Force and the international awards received from Germany, Italy, France, South Korea, Japan, Portugal, Singapore, and the Netherlands. Admiral Clark earned his undergraduate degree from Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri, and an MBA from the University of Arkansas. He has since received an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service from the University of Toledo and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Old Dominion University. In 2006 Admiral Clark was named a Distinguished Professor in the schools of Government and Leadership at Regent University and has also been elected to the Board of Trustees. In addition to these responsibilities, he is serving on the Board of Directors at Raytheon Company and Rolls Royce North America. He is serving on the Defense Policy Board, the advisory boards with @ Monster.com and Whitney, Bradley & Brown, Inc., is a Senior Executive Advisor for Booz Allen Hamilton, is on the Executive Committee of Military Ministry, and is engaged in his own consulting business. Admiral Clark and his wife, Connie, live in Phoenix, Arizona. |
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