Richard Clark
Director of Development
Richard Clark is a highly motivated, results-oriented fundraising professional with a passion for arts education and a steadfast commitment to community. Mr. Clark brings over 20-years of experience in arts and social justice based organizational advancement to PYOMI. He has led granting institutions, arts organizations, and fundraising teams in Philadelphia, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Wisconsin to success.
Prior to joining the PYO Music Institute, Mr. Clark served as Chief Advancement Officer for The Rock School for Dance Education, leading and implementing the organization’s fundraising, marketing, and business management logistics. During his tenure at the esteemed international ballet conservatory, he conducted an organizational restructure to an Advancement model, initiated the school’s Earned Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program, led an international leadership search and transition, and increased contributed revenues through, planned giving, major gifts, diversified annual giving, and international relations.
Over the past 20 years, Mr. Clark had led mid-sized arts based and cultural non-profit organizations, where he drafted and executed annual strategic, marketing, operational, and development plans/programs. He has integrated communication and public relations strategies, co-authored award-winning educational curricula, and engaged local, state, and federal representatives to advance each organization’s key initiatives. Mr. Clark’s focus on ongoing analysis and assessments has led to optimum results for increased revenue, expanded donor bases, increased public relations activities, social media engagement, and effective communications.
While serving as Director of Marketing & Communications at the Florentine Opera, Richard piloted the first retargeting program, implemented predictive models, oversaw the development of the first mobile application (2013) and subsequent mobile-ready website, and leveraged the organization’s international reputation to increase donor engagement, and broaden donor bases.
Mr. Clark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising & Design from The Philadelphia Art Institute and has completed professional development workshops and courses in fundraising, development, and program planning and assessment with the Association of Fundraising Professionals, American Philanthropic, Wisconsin Arts Board, Art Wisconsin, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and Wolf-Brown.
Mr. Clark was appointed to international service as a liaison to the Beijing China Cultural Exchange program by the Governor of South Carolina (2005). He has served as a panelist for the Wisconsin Arts Board (2008), the National Endowment for the Arts (2009), and Quest Arts Marketing Forum in Chicago, Il (2016), and led the Milwaukee County CAMPAC arts and cultural fundraising program from 2001 through 2019.
Mr. Clark’s dedication to serve his local community is demonstrated by his appointments and volunteerism with boards, forums, and government entities. In 2011, he was elected Board President of Wisconsin Dance Council after several years of committee and board service (2009-2012). He opened comments and discussions at OperaAmerica’s 2013 National Marketing forum in New York and was interviewed in the Fall 2013 edition of OA’s internationally distributed publication. In 2014, Mr. Clark was selected as an arts advocacy leader to provide opening comments and a Milwaukee welcome for NEA Chair Jane Chu to Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Arts Summit. In 2021, Richard was invited to join The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s corporate Diversity Equity & Inclusion group for monthly discussion forums (2021-2023). In 2022, Mr. Clark was invited to lead The Rock School’s international leadership search and director transition as the staff lead for the school’s special committee of its board of trustees.
Mr. Clark is an active community member and a dedicated volunteer. He has led social justice discussions, participated in outdoor trail cleanups and on May 10, 2016, brought the 1st Jane’s Walk Urbanism Forum to Milwaukee, WI, in conjunction with The Milwaukee Turners at Turner Hall and the Shepherd Express.
Richard is the devoted father to his sweet and precocious five-year-old daughter Vienna. In tandem with his earlier career in Advertising and Design (1996-2003), Richard was a successful musical theatre actor. He cultivates his musical vestiges by playing and building guitars, and by being an enthusiastic patron of live classical music and opera performance.
Throughout the past 25 years, Richard has toured North America and parts of Japan as an avid amateur big-wall rock climber, professional climbing guide educator and coach. In 2014, Mr. Clark produced the REELRock international film festival in partnership with Sender Films, The Milwaukee Turners, The Pabst Riverside Group, Friends of Devil’s Lake State Park, The Wisconsin Climbers Coalition, Michigan Ice Climbing Festival, and the American Alpine Club (2014-2017).
Mr. Clark’s deep passion for education in the arts and commitment to community has provided him with great fervor for his new role with the PYO Music Institute.