Clark ’99: “Highest and Best Use”

On April 22, 2026, John Williams ’88, VMI Foundation president and then-VMI Alumni Agencies Board chair, announced Dallas B. Clark ’99, then-VMI deputy superintendent for finance and support, would succeed David L. Prasnicki (Hon) as VMI Alumni Agencies chief executive officer. Clark assumed his new position June 8, 2026.

Clark’s relationship with VMI began through two of his brothers: Jordan ’98, who matriculated while Clark was on a 2-year mission in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Ezra ’99, who also made the decision to attend VMI. They urged him to join them.

“They made it very clear that there was something special about VMI,” Clark recalled. “They stressed the long-term payoffs: You’ll receive a great education. You’ll get a great job. You’ll make lifelong friends.” Clark’s parents were keen on him going, as well. All of them, however, told Clark the decision would have to be his. “I got in touch with Colonel Ed Sexton [Department of Economics and Business head from 1992–2005], and what he said about VMI convinced me I’d get a solid education.”

What tipped the balance, however, were family ties. “I always had been very close to my brothers, and, after 2 years away, I wanted to be with them.” In the end, four of Clark’s brothers attended VMI, and a nephew graduated in 2017.

Clark got a taste of working with alumni when he was a cadet assistant with Col. Sam Ratcliffe ’74, then-director of career services, assisting with job placement. Through that experience, he also came to know Adam Volant ’88, who served at the VMI Alumni Association from 1996–2018. The latter connection served Clark well a little more than a year after his graduation. He was working in Raleigh, North Carolina, in private industry when he contacted Volant to catch up, and Volant mentioned an opening at the VMI Alumni Association. Clark applied and was hired. There was one catch, he recalls: “When he called to tell me I was hired, Paul Maini ’66, who was then the executive vice president, told me, ‘We need you here for the next board meeting’—and that was 2 weeks away.”

After a somewhat hectic move, Clark arrived on post in September 2000. His initial job involved new cadet recruiting, meaning he attended a lot of chapter events. “I was on the road constantly,” Clark said, “traveling all over the country, meeting thousands of alumni. While it was tiring, it did allow me to see firsthand how impressive the alumni network truly is, as well as become acquainted with many great people.”

In 2006, Clark, who received a Master of Business of Administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and had taken on additional responsibilities at the Alumni Association, joined VMI’s staff as the Institute planning officer. In that position, he was responsible for the Institute’s Strategic Plan, as well as such activities as facilities planning and emergency preparedness.

His new role gave Clark an appreciation of the nature of higher education and the advantages VMI’s special nature gives it. “It’s all about outcomes—how many students graduate within 4 years, for example—and everything is measured. Then, you need to report those measurements to several governmental and non-governmental agencies.”

As he got to know administrators at other colleges and universities in Virginia, he learned how VMI stood out. “I came to love our simplicity. We are purely an undergraduate institution. Every student is a cadet who is educated in the same manner and lives in the same place,” said Clark. “That simplicity means we know what success for us looks like and so how to achieve it.

“VMI also is distinctive in its mission—to transform young people into well-educated men and women who are ready to pursue lives of honorable success and selfless service. It is distinctive in its methods. It is distinctive in its outcomes. There aren’t many colleges in the United States, for example, that have approximately half of their graduating classes commission in the armed forces.”

Clark reported directly to the late Brig. Gen. Robert L. Green ’67, who served as the deputy superintendent for finance, administration, and support from 2000–16. “Bob worked me hard, but he was also a great mentor. He gave me a lot of chances to expand my horizons by assigning me to various committees and so exposing me to all aspects of VMI.” Asked what he learned on those committees, Clark replied, “Too much to recount now, but one thing that stands out was gaining an understanding of how the physical plant and other support services work and how vital they are to our mission. Many people might not know this, but the people who work in these activities make up most of our workforce, and these people are as dedicated to VMI as any alumnus.”

After a short stint as vice president and chief advancement officer at Southern Virginia University in 2016, Clark returned to VMI as the deputy superintendent of finance, administration, and support in February 2017. In that role, he oversaw such activities as finance and budget, auxiliary services, facilities management, the Post Hospital (infirmary and Center for Cadet Counseling), government relations, and the VMI Museums.

While he has been on post, Clark has been involved in many changes at VMI. Asked for his thoughts about them, he replied, “Besides the successful integration of women into the Corps, two things stand out. First, that VMI came to see itself intentionally as a school of leadership, a college purposefully devoted to graduating honorable and effective leaders. That has given us a framework within which we evaluate what we do or plan to do. For example, we established the Center for Leadership and Ethics to improve cadets’ leadership experiences, as well as give VMI a significant role in the current national discussions about leadership.

“The second thing is the permanent renaissance in our academic program led by an absolutely devoted faculty,” Clark continued. “By any measure, academics at VMI have extensively improved. We now offer our cadets an amazing range of opportunities within the academic program, many of which I wish I had when I was a cadet. All in all, it has been a privilege to help VMI transform and to help map out its future.”

As to why he applied for the position of Alumni Agencies’ CEO, Clark said, “I saw it as an opportunity to take more than a quarter century of experience and apply it to all that the Agencies does for VMI and the VMI family. I also thought that, as hard as it would be to leave Smith Hall after essentially two decades, opportunities like this are rare, and I’d regret not seeing for myself if I could add a greater value to VMI in a new role.”

Clark is looking forward to many things in his new position, among them “being out and about among the alumni” across the country and around the world. “I want to communicate to alumni how much we value what they do for VMI,” he said. “Just the presence of them on post has an impact. To anyone attending their reunion or coming back for an event, please know that VMI is better because you’re back. Your return demonstrates to cadets and everyone else here that you place a high value on your experience.

“I always enjoyed engaging with the volunteer leaders on the boards of the Agencies while I was in Smith Hall,” said Clark. “I appreciate not only their generosity with their time, wise counsel, and strong leadership, but also their passion about making VMI an ever-stronger school. Engaging with them even more closely, I’m sure, will be exceptionally rewarding.”

The Agencies’ presidents had the unenviable task of choosing among several strong candidates. According to Matthew Hemenez ’90, Alumni Association immediate past president, Clark stood out for several reasons. He elaborated on a few: “Having worked with Dallas when he was with the Alumni Association, I saw his uncanny ability to prioritize the needs of the alumni, and we saw that that hadn’t changed. Also, Dallas’ experience with VMI, starting on the Alumni Association staff and steadily moving upward to become deputy superintendent, spoke volumes about his abilities. Finally, working with Dallas on many different areas over the last decade as a director, vice president, and finally president of the Alumni Association, I know his experience working with the General Assembly and the Agencies—and the many constituencies in between—will be invaluable in this new role.”

Williams said, “We were looking for candidates with three qualities—passion for VMI’s mission, a track record of strategic execution across diverse activities and working with diverse stakeholders, and a bold vision for the future of the Agencies—and Dallas exceeded our expectations in these critical areas.

“He also shares the bold vision of the Agencies’ leadership team and brings a unique leadership approach, which we are confident will inspire our talented staff to new levels of success in the future. Already strong, the partnership between the Alumni Agencies and VMI will be strengthened with Dallas Clark at the helm. He has an intimate understanding of how VMI operates and possesses a management style that is inclusive and trust-based.”

Kelly Sweppenheiser ’06, who succeeded Williams as Alumni Agencies Board chair July 1, thinks Clark will help the Agencies be an ever-stronger source of support for VMI. “Dallas has a proven ability to drive unity by breaking down the silos which naturally occur in any organization. This unifying leadership will be a force multiplier as we strive toward a ‘One VMI’ mindset across our alumni base and within communities we serve.”

Asked to sum up his thoughts on his new position, Clark said, “I fervently believe that … VMI is one of the most consequential institutions of higher education in America. What our graduates have done in all sorts of places—to include those quiet, unspoken places where their contributions might be never acknowledged—has been extraordinary, especially considering our size. Everywhere you go, you’ll find our alumni doing the important work of our wonderful country and doing it with the determination, integrity, grit, and spirit borne of their time in barracks. I am truly grateful, therefore, to have this chance to put my experience to its highest and best use leading the VMI Alumni Agencies.”