Longest Standing Commandant in Naval Academy’s History to Speak at VIP Dinner

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The Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce and Beacon at Salisbury University is hosting a series of exclusive quarterly VIP Speaker Dinners. In this second edition of the series, on February 22, our speaker will be 17th President of Wesley College, Robert Clark. He will discuss current events and touch on the relevancy of the College, known as “Wesley’s Worth,” and embracing “Servant Leadership,” by fostering an environment of education, empowerment, inspiration, and accountability, knowing that excellence stems from collaboration and teamwork.

President Clark served 32 years of distinguished service in the United States Navy’s Submarine Force, including spending the last five years of his military career serving in senior executive roles at two of the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning.

Most recently, he served as Joint Service Coordinator at the Pennsylvania State University. Like a Department Chair, and holding the academic rank of full professor, he oversaw and coordinated a myriad of issues and efficiencies between all of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs and Penn State. These included, but were not limited to, fiscal, operational, scheduling, and curricular matters. Additionally, while at Penn State he served on Penn State’s Undergraduate Education Leadership Council, and guest lectured at Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College Leadership Academy.

Prior to this, Clark served as the 84th Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. He served in that position for just over three years from April 2010 until May 2013, becoming the longest standing Commandant in the Naval Academy’s history.

During his 32 years of operational military service, Clark served in some of the most challenging and highest visibility positions in the Submarine Force, including Commodore of Submarine Squadron FOUR, Commanding Officer of the nuclear-powered submarine USS CONNECTICUT (SSN 22), and Executive Assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.

Clark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Science degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California. He received the Naval Institute Award for his thesis work. Additionally, he was part of a select group of senior leaders selected to attend the Navy Corporate Business Course on Executive Management at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

This will be a premiere event, limited to only 52 seats, featuring a cocktail hour, beginning at 6 p.m., and catered by the Executive Chefs at Salisbury University. This unique opportunity to hear from one of the most talented and exceptional National experts is not to be missed.

Tickets are $55 for Chamber members and $70 for non-members. Registration prior to the event is mandatory; Walk Ins cannot be accepted. Please register via our event calendar on our website, salisburyarea.com or contact Lauren Alfes, Director of Events, at 410.749.0144.