For almost 30 years, Courtney has led her family’s philanthropic giving as Foundation President. Today, as Board Chair, she will help lead the Foundation into its next chapter and continue to honor her father’s legacy.

Courtney is active in the Washington, DC-area community. She has served in leadership roles with several local non-profit organizations, including as former Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Washington Jesuit Academy, a middle school for at-risk boys in DC, and as a trustee for Collegiate Directions, Inc., a college access program for low-income, first-generation-to-college students in Maryland. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Vanderbilt University and DC-CAP, a college access program for public and charter school students in DC. Courtney also serves on the board of Clark Enterprises, the private investment firm founded in 1972 by her father.

Courtney resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband, R. Scott Pastrick, President and CEO of Prime Policy Group. They have two daughters and a son. Courtney holds a JD from the Catholic University of America and a Bachelor’s degree from Duke University.

Joe Del Guercio is President and CEO of the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation. With nearly two decades of experience in venture capital and private equity, Joe brings an investor’s sensibility to his role. He leads strategic direction for the Foundation and works closely with grantees, staff and the Board of Directors to ensure alignment between the Foundation’s vision, grant-making and impact. But Joe’s favorite part of the job is meeting the students whom the Foundation supports. As a son of Italian immigrants who understood that education and hard work would be the keys to their family’s future success, Joe most enjoys meeting the students who exemplify that same grit and ambition.

Joe also works as Managing Director of the private equity and venture capital arm of Clark Enterprises, the private investment firm founded in 1972 by A. James Clark. Joe lives in Washington, DC with his wife and two children. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College. Outside of the philanthropic work he leads with the Foundation, he serves on the Investment and Grants Committees for the U.S. Soccer Foundation and is actively involved with the National Youth Baseball Academy and Cycle for Survival.

Natalie joined the Foundation as the Director of Engineering Initiatives in 2018. In this role, she manages the Foundation’s signature academic program, the A. James Clark Scholars program, which has now been established at 10 campuses nationwide. Natalie also manages the Foundation’s multi-year investment of nearly $220 million to the University of Maryland.

Natalie previously served as the Director of External Relations in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park, where she focused on development, corporate and public relations, external outreach, and communications. Prior to that, Natalie worked in development at George Washington University, City Year Washington, DC, and New York University.

Natalie serves on the board of Jubilee Jumpstart and as President elect for the Board of Directors for the Congressional Chorus, where she is also a singer and dancer. Natalie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Business and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her husband.

Danielle joined the Foundation in 2010 and currently serves as its Chief of Staff. In this capacity, she manages a large portfolio of grantees. She provides capacity-building support to current grantees as well as identifies and stewards prospective grantees and partnerships. Her role also includes building the Foundation’s new brand and communication strategy.

Having worked in the philanthropic sector for more than 15 years, Danielle brings a passion for and keen understanding of the Foundation grantees’ work. She is inspired by the dedication of those who work tirelessly to make the DC region better for all who live here, and is honored to support them as a steward of the Clark family’s giving. Before joining the Clark team, Danielle worked for the CityBridge Foundation and the Advisory Board Company.

Danielle has lived in the DC area for nearly 20 years. She currently serves on the Future Scholars Foundation board. Danielle holds a Bachelor’s degree from Miami University.

Jennifer Houston joined the Foundation in 2018 as Operations and Grants Manager. She spearheads the Foundation’s grant and operations infrastructure, overseeing systems to streamline grant management and support the success of the Foundation’s grantees.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Jennifer served for nine years as Vice President of Special Projects and Events at Innovative Philanthropy, a philanthropic consulting firm in New York City. Jennifer brings strong experience working with high-profile nonprofit clients in capacities that include grant-making, foundation management, fundraising, and event execution.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her husband.

Mike is a former Marine, a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and has served in a variety of operational roles within the Intelligence Community.  After working some time in private industry, he transitioned to the non-profit field to serve veterans. In 2012 Mike joined Points of Light where he spearheaded the organization’s efforts to serve veterans and their families.  Most recently, Mike worked for Team Rubicon, a disaster response organization that utilizes veterans and first-responders as its volunteer base, where he oversaw the activities of the Eastern United States.

In his free time, Mike has participated in multiple ultra-endurance challenges and has raised over $550,000 for charity.  Mike currently lives in Bethesda, Md. with his wife, their two children and dog.

Ryan joined the Foundation in 2018 as Director of DC Community Initiatives to design, execute, and manage the Foundation’s local investment strategy. In this role, she builds and leverages partnerships with Washington-area leaders and community champions to enhance life in the region the Clark family calls home.

Ryan brings over 15 years of experience working across the nonprofit, philanthropic, business, and government sectors to serve youth and families in areas of high need. Most recently, she served as Chief External Relations Officer at Martha’s Table, an organization that supports children and families by increasing access to quality education programs, healthy food, and family supports.

Ryan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. She is a Washington, DC native and a proud graduate of DC Public Schools.

In her role as Program Officer, Ashley is responsible for the research and analysis of programmatic activities in the Foundation’s portfolio of grants – including conducting diligence, tracking the progress of grantees and measuring success against program goals.

Ashley has held a variety of roles in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors over the past eight years, concentrating on issues including food insecurity, youth homelessness, and education access.  Most recently, she was a Community Relations Specialist at Wells Fargo where she focused on community engagement and corporate and foundation giving across the Mid-Atlantic.

Ashley holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Washington University in St. Louis, and Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Policy from University of Maryland, College Park.  She is also a graduate of the Institute for Corporate Responsibility, managed by the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers and Johns Hopkins University.