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Richard M. Clark

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Richard Clark
Clark in 2024
21st Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy
In office
September 23, 2020 – June 1, 2024
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byJay B. Silveria
Succeeded byThomas P. Sherman (acting)
Personal details
Born (1964-07-29) July 29, 1964 (age 60)
Frankfurt, Germany
SpouseAmy Purcell Clark
ChildrenMilo Joshua Clark and Zoë Adrienne Clark
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Air Force
Years of service1986–2024
RankLieutenant general
CommandsUnited States Air Force Academy
Third Air Force
Eighth Air Force
12th Flying Training Wing
34th Bomb Squadron
Battles / warsGulf War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
Awards

Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (2)
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star Medal (2)
Alma materUnited States Air Force Academy (BS)
Webster University (MA)
Air University (MA)
Naval War College (MA)

Richard Milo Clark (born July 29, 1964) is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general who served as the 21st Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy from 2020 to 2024.[1] He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration. A bomber pilot, he graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1986.[2] On November 10, 2023, the College Football Playoff announced that Clark had been chosen to serve as its next executive director.[3]

Early life and education

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From Richmond, Virginia, Richard Milo Clark[4] graduated from Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe High School, where he was an All-Metro offensive lineman in football and also stood out in track and field. Originally committed to play at William & Mary in Williamsburg, he took an interest in the United States Air Force Academy during his senior year,[5] was accepted, and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Management. As a cadet, he was a four-year letterman on the football team at linebacker.[6][7][8] During his senior season in 1985, the Falcons went 12–1 and were eighth in the final AP poll.[9][10]

In 1991, Clark was named a distinguished graduate from Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base and, in 1994, he received a Master of Arts in human resource development at Webster University.[1] In 1996, he attended the USAF Weapons School, then at Ellsworth AFB, and in 1998 he was again a distinguished graduate at the Naval War College and married his wife, Amy, shortly after. The University of Maryland awarded him an honorary doctorate.[1]

Military career

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Clark is a command pilot, with more than 4,200 combined hours in the B-1 Lancer, EC-135 Looking Glass, KC-135 Stratotanker, T-1 Jayhawk, T-38 Talon, T-6 Texan II, and Learjet C-21.[1] Four hundred of his flight hours have been in combat, and he received the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement and courage in the Global War on Terror. His initial flying assignment after pilot training was the Looking Glass in 1988 at Offutt AFB, then moved to the B-1 in 1991 at McConnell AFB.[1]

From 2010 to 2012, Clark served as the Commandant of Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy.[11] In 2016, Clark took command of the Third Air Force at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and in 2018, he was named Deputy Air Force Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration.[1]

In July 2020, U.S. president Donald Trump nominated Clark to become the next Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy, succeeding Jay Silveria.[12] He began his duties on September 23, becoming the first black Superintendent to lead the institution.[7][8] Clark retired from the Air Force in June 2024, with Major General Thomas P. Sherman succeeding him as acting Superintendent.

Effective dates of promotions[1]

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Rank Date
Second lieutenant May 28, 1986
First lieutenant May 28, 1988
Captain May 28, 1990
Major September 1, 1997
Lieutenant colonel May 1, 2000
Colonel August 1, 2004
Brigadier general November 18, 2009
Major general June 4, 2013
Lieutenant general October 21, 2016


References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Lieutenant General Richard M. Clark (USAF)". United States Air Force. June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "3rd Air Force bids farewell to one commander, welcomes another". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "CFP hires Air Force's Clark as executive director". November 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Polaris (PDF). Vol. XXVII. Colorado Springs, Colorado: United States Air Force Academy. 1986. p. 84. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  5. ^ O'Connor, John (September 23, 2020). "RPS graduate Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark assumes command at U.S. Air Force Academy". Richmond Times-Dispatch. (Virginia). Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "Football media guide: All-time letterman" (PDF). U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics. 2019. p. 126.
  7. ^ a b Roeder, Tom (September 23, 2020). "Clark's ascent to Air Force Academy's top job makes history". The Gazette. (Colorado Springs). Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "General becomes 1st Black head of U.S. Air Force Academy". The Colorado Sun. (Denver). Associated Press. September 24, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  9. ^ "Air Force turns Texas coach into a prophet". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. January 1, 1986. p. 14.
  10. ^ "AP's final Top 20". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. January 3, 1986. p. 11.
  11. ^ Bitton, David (April 25, 2021). "Air Force Academy's first Black superintendent looks to pay it forward at his alma mater". The Gazette (Colorado Springs). Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "Lt. Gen. Richard Clark nominated to be next Academy superintendent". United States Air Force Academy. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
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Military offices
Preceded by Commandant of Cadets of the United States Air Force Academy
2010–2012 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of the Office of Military Cooperation and Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché to Cairo
2012–2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice Commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command
2014–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of the Eighth Air Force
2015–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of the Third Air Force
2016–2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration of the United States Air Force
2018–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by 21st Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy
2020–2024 		Succeeded by
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