At-Large Candidate for Raleigh City Council in ‘26
PASSION, COMPASSION, & SERVICE
Clark is geographically southern. His mother was raised in Guatemala City and his dad is from Stark County, OH. Clark grew up in a large, cosmopolitan city that was steeped in music, dance, culture, cuisine, traditions, and languages from around the globe. Miami very much shapes his identity and point of view, but he has also had the privilege of growing up with Raleigh since August 2009.
Clark is an Industrial engineer by training and moved to the area to attend Duke Divinity School, where he received his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees. He didn’t initially intend to become a local church pastor, but really enjoyed serving students and their families for almost a decade in North Raleigh. While pastoring, he fell in love with social entrepreneurship, which allowed him to combine the problem solving side of his brain with a passion for people and shaping a better world.
Clark joined The Loading Dock team in late 2017 and had the privilege of seeing what a robust small business and entrepreneurial ecosystem can do for a city — it creates an abundance of opportunities where profit can be leveraged to profit our Community.
Today, Clark works at the intersection of community engagement, community development, and economic development. He is the Founder of LOCAL Coworking — a coworking consulting and fractional management group — and is serving as the Interim Executive Director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership. Outside of work, he coaches youth sports teams around the city.
RALEIGH
City of Oaks & City of Opportunities
Key Priorities
Addressing the Affordability Crisis - more housing, more choices, more places
Public Safety - safety across Raleigh needs to be a baseline as we grow
Robust Infrastructure - investing in multi-modal transit, emphasizing a “car light” urban core, and ongoing development of world-class social spaces
Culture of Entrepreneurship - ensuring that local small businesses have access to key resources and entrepreneurship is an option for all
Next Generation Focus - build toward a future that makes Raleigh affordable, green, vibrant, and prosperous for more neighbors for generations to come
Clark is a husband, father, social entrepreneur, 3w2, Miami native, former pastor, Stonewall kickball captain, dreamer, coalition builder, people-person, smart growth urbanism nerd, optimist & aspiring public servant.
Throughout the campaign, Clark and the team are committed to listening to, learning from, and leading with neighbors across Raleigh. Your voice is needed to shape the future. So, JOIN US!
Raleigh is often known as the City of Oaks, but we also believe it ought to be known as the City of Opportunities…for more and more people, not less and less.
Don’t agree with something along the way? Or, have an idea you’d like to share with the team about how we can grow well and flourish…together?
We want to hear from you, so please reach out.
Community engagement & volunteer involvement are core values for the CLARK FOR RALEIGH team.
Time, Talent & Resources will be keys to running this campaign effectively and ensuring we reach are many Raleighites as we can across the City. Jump in however you can!
Sign up to volunteer to help CLARK engage with neighbors across Raleigh and be a part of the core team heading into 2026.
WHAT CLARK’S READING RIGHT NOW
Southern News, Southern Politics: How A Newspaper Defined A State for A Century
By Rob Christensen
Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual For Keeping A Democracy
By Joyce Vance
A Street of Street Networks: From Grids To Sprawl And Beyond
By Laurence Aurbach
Survival of The City: The Future of Urban Life In An Age of Isolation
By Edward Glaeser & David Cutler
Historic Black Neighborhoods of Raleigh
By Carmen Cauthen
Cuba: An American History
By Ada Ferrer
“Clark has been a truly essential mentor to me, both professionally and personally. Clark is a visionary that has had a great hand in moving the City of Raleigh forward through entrepreneurial and community-focused mission. Our city is much better because he is in it!”
- Emanuel Lirag
As the kids say these days:
I PICK CLARK! & you should too!
Want to be the first to know about what’s going on, where our upcoming events will be, and when we will be out in your neighborhood.