By day, Kelly Clark serves as the Regional Vice President of AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, social welfare organization. AARP is a champion of social change for nearly 38 million members and helps people navigate constantly changing realities that impact today’s 50-plus populations and the generations that follow with the issues that matter most to families—such as health care, employment and income security, and protection from financial abuse. In this role, Kelly provides oversight of the organization’s operations in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Since early 2016, she has also served as a member of the faculty at the college, sharing her leadership and management expertise teaching both undergraduate and graduate students.

Meet Your Instructor

Which course do you teach?

At the undergraduate level, I teach Human Services and the Helping Process and Human Development. I also teach the Integrated Capstone course for the M.S. in Leadership and M.S. in Management.

What do you do for work?

As the Regional Vice President for the East and Caribbean at AARP, I help serve over 2.3 million members, oversee 51 employees, and manage a budget of $11 million. I create and maintain strong relationships across the AARP Enterprise, resulting in effective and efficient interaction between state offices and the national office.

What qualities attracted you to the college as a faculty member?

Working with adult students opens the opportunity to foster peer-learning and creates an environment for students to learn from one another. The professional and life experience that they bring into the classroom is unique and, as an instructor, it’s great to support them in taking the next step in their professional careers.

What inspires you?

I am frequently reminded of the value of perseverance and inspired by our student’s passion for learning. In particular, when I work with graduate students on their Integrative Capstone course, I see students start the process with a seed of an idea. Over the course of the term, I get to watch them feed and nurture the idea until it fully blooms into their capstone paper, project, and presentation.

For example, students start with broad concepts such as morale, leadership, and mentorship. Over time, their work evolves, narrows in focus, and results in concrete recommendations to the organizations they work for.

What do you do in your spare time?

I am an outdoor enthusiast and enjoy running, hiking, biking, and cross country skiing along with spending time with my husband and our two bloodhounds, Spencer and Sadie.

What advice do you have for adult students returning to college?

Focus on the course you are in and take it one step at a time—steady and consistent progress. Do not forget to reflect on how far you have come, whether that is attending your first class, finishing your first course, making it to the half-way point or graduating.

What career advice do you have for students?

Do not underestimate the value of networking with peer learners, faculty, and professionals in your field. Leverage these connections as a student and utilize project opportunities to engage with and connect with professionals in the work place.