by KARA SCHWEISS
Since August, Garry Clark, Jr. has been adjusting to his new role as President & CEO/Executive Director of PartnerTulsa, the city’s economic development authority. The incredible career opportunity also meant relocation, so Clark is also adjusting to a new community—something he takes in stride. As he detailed in his 2019 memoir “Unlikely Viking – From the D.C. Projects to Rural Nebraska” and highlighted in a 2019 TEDxOmaha Talk, “Running Shoes, Food Stamps, and Cornfields,” Clark grew up in more than a dozen different homes all over Washington, D.C. as his family battled both poverty and addiction.
It was athletics that brought him to the Midwest, where he became the Viking referenced in his book title—a Dana College Viking. The gifted athlete set 11 track records at the former private college in rural Blair, Nebraska. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Dana followed by a master’s degree in urban studies/political administration from UNO in 2006.
“I believe that because of my journey, I’m persistent,” he said. “I set a goal, and no matter how long it takes me to get to that point, my eyes are forward.”
His career milestones include leadership positions with North Capitol Main Street in Washington, D.C.; the Greater Fremont Development Council in Fremont, Nebraska; Cuming County Nebraska; and City of Newberry, Florida. He’s also become a nationally recognized speaker on economic development as well as motivation and inclusion.
Clark said his UNO studies were key to his professional success.
“I think the Urban Studies program was a godsend to me, because I had turned down an opportunity to run in Europe, and I kind of had this fledgling Puma endorsement thing, but I didn’t want to run marathons,” he said. A sociology instructor steered him toward a scholarship program with internship opportunities, solidifying his route to a UNO master’s degree.
“It became a pathway for me to realize what I could do in my career,” Clark explained. “I did an internship with the planning department in Council Bluffs and did a life-changing internship with Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, NIFA; to this day I still have connections with that organization and almost 20 years later, and I’m doing tax increment finance for PartnerTulsa.”
Clark not only changed the trajectory of his own life, he’s been able to provide the kind of stable footing for his three children—ages 15, 9 and 7—that he never had growing up.
“They are the reason why I continue to get up every day and try to make a difference and be the best example I can be to them,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’m quite done yet. You know, I feel like my canvas, so to speak, is—I’m still working on it. I’m still doing the ‘Jackson Pollock’ flashes.”
And there are more flashes ahead.
“I want to be in the public space,” he said. “I see myself wanting to run for Congress one day, and just really enjoying being a part of the American diaspora to create change.”
