Larry Clark to Retire

After over 40 years of distinguished Federal service with NRCS, Deputy Chief for Science and Technology Lawrence "Larry" Clark will retire on January 3, 2008.

During his tenure he has served as a student trainee in Morgantown, West Virginia; one of the first NRCS environmental specialists at the State level in Raleigh, North Carolina; Water Planner for the Four-Corner States in Phoenix, Arizona; West Leader for Water Planning for 17 Western States in Portland, Oregon; Deputy State Conservationist in Indianapolis, Indiana; State Conservationist in Columbus, Ohio; and Deputy Chief for Programs and Science and Technology at NHQ in Washington, D.C.

Larry said that among his most rewarding NRCS experiences has been his work in Africa. “The formidable resource challenges confronting the populations there that stood in sharp contrast to the people’s great optimism and hope of what NRCS could do to help in the face of dire circumstances,” was to Larry a “life changing” event.

The 40-year veteran sums up his vision of voluntary conservation by saying that “voluntary conservation works because NRCS pursues its goals by starting with decision-makers and landowners and working from the ground up. In locally-led partnerships with the decision makers we share our technology, we impact attitudes and behavior, and ultimately influence how landowners use and manage their resources.”

In a phrase Larry characterizes the good work of NRCS by saying, “The technical expertise and science based know-how accumulated by NRCS employees for over 70 years are undervalued national assets that can make a huge contribution to helping people all over the world sustain their natural resources.”

Mr. Clark holds Master Degrees in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina. He is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics. He is a member of the Soil and Water Conservation Society of America, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the World Association of Soil Conservation, the National Association of Professional Black NRCS Employees, and the NCA&T-SAES Alumni Society.

While Larry looks forward to retirement, he says “I will truly miss the many personal and professional relations cultivated here and abroad.” He and his wife, Dorothy, have two children, Darwensi (Dee) and Monika and a granddaughter, Jordan. The Clarks plan to reside in Alexandria, Virginia.
Your contact is Fred Jacobs, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-720-4772.