Biography Clark E. Ray Director, Department of Parks and Recreation Clark E. Ray was nominated by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty as Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) in August 2007, and was confirmed by the Council of the District of Columbia in January 2008.  Prior to his appointment as DPR Director, Mr. Ray successfully served as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services.  As director, he was responsible for leading the charge to improve the quality of life for District residents through increasing the visibility of the Mayor’s constituent services efforts and ensuring that city government agencies provide coordinated and scheduled delivery of high-quality basic services for every resident, visitor, and business owner.  During this time, Mr. Ray oversaw the continued development of “Operation Fix It,” a multi-agency initiative aimed at abating specific areas where crime, blight and compliance issues require participation from multiple District agencies and the community.  Before joining Mayor Fenty’s Cabinet, Mr. Ray was the Director of External Affairs for the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission. He coordinated and managed the location, design and construction of community recreational sports facilities in the District built by the Commission.  From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Ray served in the Executive Office of the Mayor as a Neighborhood Services Coordinator in the Office of Neighborhood Services.  In this position, he led a core team of government and community partners that worked to identify and resolve persistent and chronic issues across the city. Before his tenure with the District Government, Mr. Ray had the distinct pleasure of serving in the Clinton-Gore Administration for seven years.  During this time he was detailed to several federal agencies, and served as deputy campaign manager and Chief of Staff to Tipper Gore for the Gore 2000 presidential campaign. In this position, he was a member of Vice President Al Gore’s senior campaign management team and monitored and approved expenditures associated with Mrs. Gore’s campaign-related activities and events. Mr. Ray earned a Bachelor of Science in education from the University of Arkansas, and a Master’s Degree in sports management administration from Temple University.