FAMU NAA PRESIDENT CLARK WINDS DOWN ‘SUPERCHARGED’ TENURE
BY [ Kathy Y. TIMES ]
“He is personable, dedicated, committed and recognizes the skills strength in others,” said Pinkard. “I was always comfortable in the background, but he has pushed me and others out of our comfort zone and allowed our strengths to be best utilized and shown. He believes in unity, doing what is right for “Mother FAMU” (even if not popular), celebrating those who have built this organization, have outstanding service in their community and careers and ensuring that we all understand the history of the Association, while continuing to move us forward and having fun!” As an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and owner of a financial services business in Birmingham, Alabama, Clark brought a unique set of skills to his position. Those experiences, a loyal board of directors and members, chapter leaders and staff at the Office of Alumni Affairs helped him fulfill campaign pledges and much more. In 2015, he pledged to ■ accelerate membership growth, ■ strengthen the Association’s revenue streams, ■ increase alumni engagement, ■ support FAMU student recruitment efforts, ■ and establish an NAA Governmental Affairs Network.
Two-term FAMU National Alumni Association President Col. Gregory L. Clark.
Florida A&M University National Alumni Association (FAMU NAA) President Col. Gregory L. Clark’s likens the beginning of his tenure to driving a Corvette. Elected to his first term in December 2015, Clark would take the steering wheel of his alma mater’s alumni association and board of directors with a mandate. He won the election with 90 percent of the vote. “The membership was looking for me to take the wheels of the car,” said Clark. “When I became president, I had good people around me who just wanted guidance. I must give a lot of credit to my NAA board. Now, I’m grooming future presidents to come up through the ranks.” Clark had more than 15 years of NAA leadership experience when he was elected president. He moved through the ranks as founding chapter of the Birmingham Metro FAMU Alumni Chapter in 1999 to first vice president in 2010. “That’s what shaped me,” said Clark. “I had an opportunity to see things from the ground up and see areas that needed improvement.” Clark sought re-election in in 2017, unopposed. His second term culminates on June 30, 2022. It has been much like a Tesla — supercharged. NAA Southern Region President Yolanda Pinkard has known Clark for 17 years. She calls him a true leader who leads from the front. 16 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
During Clark’s first year in office, the NAA purchased association software that helped maintain membership information and seamlessly add new graduates into the system. It also paved the way for members to pay their chapter, regional and national dues online. “We took the load off our local chapters’ financial teams,” said Clark. “They no longer have to accept checks, then mail them in, and then the checks were processed by the FAMU Foundation. Now everyone can pay their dues online. At the end of every month, we send chapters their local or regional dues payments electronically.” The NAA’s membership grew from 2,000 in 2015 to its current roster of 3,800. Clark focused on growing life memberships, which more than doubled from 1,200 in 2015 to a record high of 2,800 in October 2021. That equates to an additional $525,000 in the life membership endowment fund, which exceeds $2 million. Interest funds annual scholarships for FAMU students. Clark is especially proud of a new source of scholarship dollars that pays outstanding University tuition or balances that can prevent FAMU students from registering for classes and receiving their diplomas. In February 2016, the NAA launched his “signature” program, the Save Our Student (S.O.S.) Scholarship Fund. Clark thought of the initiative after a FAMU administrator shared a list of students with debt that exceeded $7 million. The average balance was $1,000. By helping primarily juniors and seniors clear balances – mostly $500 or less – S.O.S. is a win-win for the University. FAMU’s graduation and retention rates are among key performance metrics the state uses to award the University millions of dollars. “That’s what gave me the idea to alleviate some of this debt,” said Clark. “Once I understood how the State of Florida’s performance model was affecting FAMU, I saw how we as the alumni association could affect that number.”
