Clayton Miles Clark

About

I'm an operations and people leader in education services. Over fourteen years I've led teams of 200+ through complex M&A integrations, digital transformation, and a lot of honest operational change. Underneath every role it's been the same job: give big teams systems that actually help — knowledge bases, automation, and now AI.

The AI work is newer. The discipline behind it isn't. I've been automating operational work for over a decade, from the "low touch" student experience we designed in Denver to the AI and process automation that won our company-wide Innovation Challenge. So when generative AI reshaped edtech, my team had a running start. In my current role I own AI capability development and vendor selection, deciding which tools deserve a place in how a 200-person organization works. The goal is the same as it's always been: work that's more effective, more sustainable, and better for the people doing it.

"Build structures that help teams do their best work, bring clarity to complexity, and make success sustainable." The philosophy, in one sentence

Clayton and Mo on a couch with their three kids under a green garland — The five of us · Grand Rapids · photo by Taylor J. Photography

Career

Fourteen years, one company, a lot of change.

I joined Academic Partnerships in 2011 as an enrollment coordinator. Through the Wiley years and the 2023 merger with Wiley University Services that created the largest OPM in the market, with 125+ university partners, I grew into the senior director seat. Here's what that looked like in numbers — real ones, not deck numbers.

200+

People in the retention and operations organization I lead

$3.3MM

Annualized operating cost reduction

$4MM

Annual reduction in operational billing discrepancies

48%

Increase in processing capacity in six months

27%

Reduction in processing cycle times in six months

125+

University partners I've supported on technology and data

2

Major M&A integrations as key operational stakeholder

1st

Company-wide Innovation Challenge award, for AI & process automation

Resume

Fourteen years, eight roles.

One company through three names · Academic Partnerships → Wiley Education Services → today · October 2011 – present. Fourteen years in one place is unfashionable, I hear. I was busy.

MAR 2025 — PRESENT

Senior Director, Student Retention & Operations

Risepoint

Lead retention and student operations for the largest OPM in the market: the systems, teams, and outcomes that keep students enrolled and progressing across 125+ university partnerships.

Own AI capability development and vendor selection for the organization, from evaluation through rollout.
Reduced an additional $1.0MM in annualized headcount cost through AI-enabled process redesign.
Expanded remit joining retention to operations for a combined 200+ person organization.

APR 2020 — MAR 2025

Senior Director, Student Operations

Wiley Education Services / Academic Partnerships

Managing director of the Student Operations organization. Primary business stakeholder for new partner launches, business operations, data integrity, and operational support of OPM enrollment and retention organizations. The work spanned large-scale project management, university technology consulting, process automation, analytics and data hygiene, AI and low-code solutions, student evaluations, credit transference, degree and course planning, registration, and transcript services.

Key operational stakeholder through two major M&A integrations of like-sized organizations (1,600+ employees), including the 2023 merger of Academic Partnerships and Wiley University Services.
Won the company-wide Innovation Challenge award for implementing AI and process automation technology.
Reduced operational annualized headcount cost by $589K in the first six months, and an additional $1.7MM in year two.
Cut processing cycle times 27% and increased processing capacity 48% in the first six months.
Reduced operational billing discrepancies by $4MM per year.

OCT 2019 — APR 2020

Director of Operations

Wiley Education Services

Primary business stakeholder during M&A for Client Management and Retention organizations on director-level cross-departmental technology initiatives. Owned partner data integrations, technology vision, and priorities across the strategic university partner portfolio, and served as the primary client-facing expert for tech stack and technology integrations.

FEB 2019 — OCT 2019

Senior Manager, Operations Technology

Wiley Education Services

Led operations technology strategy bridging business teams and engineering through the transition from Academic Partnerships to Wiley.

DEC 2013 — FEB 2019

Operations Manager → Senior Operations Manager

Academic Partnerships · Denver

Managed daily operations of eight new and long-term university partnerships with six operational staff. Drove partner technology and process discovery, and solved operational scalability by designing a "low touch" student experience: service standards held with a 5:1 workforce reduction, and a single operational resource went from managing 500 semester enrollees to 2,100.

OCT 2011 — DEC 2013

Enrollment Coordinator → Senior Enrollment Coordinator

Academic Partnerships · Denver

Coordinated with university partner deans and directors to shepherd students from initial interest through the first week of class. Designed and executed a transcript pre-evaluation process that produced additional enrollments, and digitized legacy processes to raise student ratios for the role across the business.

EDUCATION

University of Saint Mary

MBA, Finance · 2012 – 2014 · Leavenworth, KS

University of Colorado Boulder

BA, Communication · 2006 – 2010 · Boulder, CO

References

Kind words from people I've worked with.

I didn't write any of these. That's rather the point.

"Clay has an exceptional ability to bring structure to complex operational challenges… he has a genuine gift for helping others do their best work. That combination of operational excellence, empathy, and a deep investment in people earned my complete trust and respect."

"Clay brings a rare combination of effective leadership, technical acumen, and emotional intelligence to any situation… For me, Clay is a role model as a leader, a voice of reason, and an excellent sounding board."

"Clay takes great pride in knowing every detail of an operation so that he can be focused on solutions and breaking down barriers… each time Clay is brought into a conversation, he will find a solution that will provide a win/win."

More references, from managers to direct reports

12 more · click to expand

"His leadership style stood out: strong vision and direction with a genuine care for his people… an environment where teams could truly thrive."

"He has an excellent knack for having technology conversations with non-technology people at the right level. I have personally gained a lot of knowledge and insight on customer centricity from Clay."

"A tech-savvy manager who has been continuously breaking the barrier between Business and Technology… a rockstar among Business Operations Managers, thanks to his capabilities and his impressive track record."

"Clay is an innovator! In fact, he has won Wiley's prestigious Innovation Challenge. A rare find of being both strategic and a doer, he is the first one to get his hands dirty on a project."

"When I think of the phrase 'Solutions Oriented', Clayton Clark immediately comes to mind… He's an effective leader who's earned the trust of his team and his peers, and his talents are widely respected across the organization."

"A kind and empathetic leader, willing to talk through concerns, help with problems, or recommend a good book, and a logical, data-driven operator ready to present his case… he has improved our department's culture."

"A strong leader with a good sense of awareness and corporate consciousness that has helped him be successful in any situation and audience."

"A strategic thinker who can envision various possible future states and then build practical, timeous solutions… excellent presentation skills enable Clay to explain complex data concepts to different audiences."

"He shows up ready to find solutions that advance initiatives to impact the right kind of change needed in operations of our organization."

"A strong data-driven leader with empathetic care in the way he approached solving complex problems… he took great care to ensure all voices were heard but was never afraid to challenge ideas."

"One of the most hardworking people I have met… he works very well as a cross-functional project owner due to his excellent communication skills and is always thinking of innovative ideas."

"Clay earned his several promotions through invaluable contributions to the operations group. His willingness to assume new responsibilities above and beyond his job description showed everyone that Clay is a strong asset."

Things to Eat

And then there's dinner.

The full family recipe doc. The pasta chapter came from a cooking class Mo and I took on our honeymoon in Italy. A few are hers. A couple are missing steps because I never wrote them down. House rules: full-fat ingredients, coarse kosher salt, fresh-cracked pepper.

The three Clark kids sitting against a whitewashed wood wall — The tasting panel

Contact

Say hello.

I like talking about operations, AI in edtech, and what you should make for dinner. I post about AI and knowledge systems on LinkedIn, and a writing section is coming here. If any of this resonated, I'd enjoy hearing from you. Serious inquiries and soup questions receive equal priority.

Email Clayton LinkedIn

Hi, I'm Clayton.

Big teams, big transitions.

Systems underneath the work.

Ask me about the ribs.

Fourteen years, one company, a lot of change.

Fourteen years, eight roles.

Senior Director, Student Retention & Operations

Senior Director, Student Operations

Director of Operations

Senior Manager, Operations Technology

Operations Manager → Senior Operations Manager

Enrollment Coordinator → Senior Enrollment Coordinator

University of Saint Mary

University of Colorado Boulder

Kind words from people I've worked with.

More references, from managers to direct reports

And then there's dinner.

Say hello.