Dr. Jessica (Jess) Clark is presently serving Northland Pioneer College (NPC) as the Vice President for Learning and Student Services. In this capacity, she serves as the Chief Academic Officer, the Chief Student Affairs Officer, and the Title IX Coordinator. She also serves as the Chair of the Northeastern Arizona Training Center executive board. Dr. Clark supervises an administrative assistant, three academic deans, two student services directors, and a director of marketing. She oversees student learning, including faculty and instructional support, i.e distance education, library services, high school programs, adult basic education, GED services, testing, Carl Perkins, workforce; she also oversees student services, including records and registration, financial aid, Title IX, advising, academic support services, clubs, community and corporate learning, kids college, career services, marketing, recruiting.
Before joining NPC, Dr. Clark served Western Wyoming Community College (Western) for 9 years, progressively advancing her career during this tenure. Dr. Clark joined Western, in 2010, as the full-time Instructional Designer in the Distance Education Department, and adjunct faculty in the History Department. As the Instructional Designer, Dr. Clark worked with faculty in best practices for online (e-learning) delivery. Simultaneously, Dr. Clark’s history offerings increased the demand for a History Department at Western, and in 2012 she secured herself a full-time faculty position as an Assistant Professor of History and Political Science – teaching 28 to 32 credits a year, while coordinating the History Department (with 6-8 part-time faculty members, adjunct and concurrent instructors).
In 2016, Dr. Clark was promoted to Associate Professor of History at WWCC, and then to the non-rotating, full-time, administrative position of Division Chair (aka, Associate Dean or Dean) of Social Sciences and Education. As the Division Chair, she was responsible for 9 full-time faculty and 40 plus adjunct/concurrent faculty. She also served as the Honors Program Coordinator and the Outward Mindset Facilitator.
Before joining Western, Dr. Clark taught for North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) as an adjunct faculty member, and North Dakota State University (NDSU) as an online lecturer. She began teaching in 2007, while working on her doctorate.
In 2019, Dr. Clark completed a post-doctoral certificate in Leadership in Higher Education with an emphasis in Community Colleges from the University of Wyoming. She earned her doctorate in Rural History, with specialties in US and World History from NDSU in 2010. Her dissertation research focused on 20th century immigrant history and family studies. She also earned her MA in History from NDSU, and her BA in History (Broad Area) – Secondary Education from Central Washington University.
As a first-generation college student, Dr. Clark is committed to opening the doors of higher education for others, as well as to helping students navigate the 21st century pathways. She strives to be a role model for her beautiful daughters, Ocean Maria and Rain Lily; and is grateful for the continued support of her high-school sweetheart, and now husband Dr. Will Clark. Born and reared in Washington state, Dr. Clark is eager to return to her home state – and very much honored to have been selected as a finalist at Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) for the Vice President of Instruction. For more information, visit drjessicaclark.com.