Louisville Alumni sat down with Phyllis Clark '01 to learn more about how UofL has impacted her life. 
Name: Phyllis L. Clark, M.Ed, ABD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Degree(s): Bachelor of Science, Music Education (1993) from the University of Arkansas; Master of Educational Psychology with an emphasis in College Student Personnel (2001) from the University of Louisville; PhD in Leadership in Higher Education (anticipated 2022) from Bellarmine University
Current Location: Louisville, Ky.
Current Occupation: Vice President for Student Services at Simmons College of Kentucky; Owner of Phyllis Clark Consulting; Owner of Essence Promotions; Founder of EMERGE Institute for Women & Girls.
Social Handles: Phyllis Lee Clark, @iamphyllisclark, Phyllis Clark Consulting, @PhyllisClark, Phyllis L. Clark
How has your UofL experience shaped your career or community involvement? I am thrilled to acknowledge that I served 17 years at the University of Louisville in capacities that fueled my professional growth and augmented my personal and professional development. The opportunities I received and the relationships I formed with beautiful colleagues and cohort members, (many of whom I still know and love to this day), coupled with my graduate school experiences have positioned me for the service to which I have been called at Simmons College of Kentucky, the nation’s 107th Historically Black College & University.
I distinctly remember the hug Jenny Sawyer, the Executive Director of Undergraduate Admission, shared with me on a warm August afternoon of 1999 after telling me that I was the candidate of choice for the position for which I applied and that I’d be working to also recruit minority students to the University. This was my first professional position at UofL as an Admissions Counselor and was my absolute dream job after concluding my service as orchestra teacher for seven schools in Jefferson County.
Although my roles changed throughout my tenure on campus, I was always afforded the opportunity to sharpen my skillset and increase my higher education knowledge-base in and out of the classroom through a variety of professional development activities, educational badges, trainings, and asset-mapping and building. I’ll never forget being able to sharpen my speaking and presentation skills through sharing information about UofL through our weekly campus visit programs, open houses or representing the university at community and/or faith-based events. Being encouraged and given the space to create innovative programs and services for students through Diversity Recruitment and the Cultural Center stretched me to the max but I loved all of it. I just recently learned that many of the programs my team and I created in the early – mid 90’s remain active in some form today.
What is most memorable for me is that UofL provided me the opportunity to work in critical positions that permitted me to assist in the personal and professional development and persistence of Black students. You might know them collectively as the University of Louisville Porter Scholars and the Martin Luther King Scholars. These scholarship student groups represent the best and the brightest from the local area, region, and Commonwealth of Kentucky. Helping young minoritized men and women realize their educational dreams, remains my passion, in this, my 26th year of service to the education profession.
The graduate and professional experiences I received at the University have shaped who I am today and I am better for it. All of my “learning moments” helped to preserve and prepare me for the service, coaching, and entrepreneurial endeavors with which I am engaged today and I am eternally grateful. L1C4.
What program or initiative at UofL would you like to encourage support of? Darla D. Frazier Book Scholarship