July 31, 2024

Clark Lee '14 Awarded 2024 Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Alumni Award

The Public Service Program has the privilege to honor outstanding recent graduates of Southwestern Law School whose professional lives and careers reflect the values of the late Harry Pregerson. Award recipients are alumni who have shown extraordinary commitment and leadership in producing demonstrable results or in having undertaken exceptional efforts to help underserved individuals or communities through their professional or pro bono practice. This year, we proudly honor Clark Lee from Southwestern’s Class of 2014 with the 2024 Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Alumni Award.

Clark Lee serves as a Senior Advisor at the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He advises on the implementation and enforcement of civil rights and privacy laws and regulations, federal rulemaking, congressional affairs, policy, intergovernmental and intra-agency collaborations, and public affairs.

Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration as an appointee, Clark was a consultant, strategist, and lawyer in advocacy, civic engagement, civil rights, compliance, elections, and public affairs, with more than two decades of results-proven experience. He advised nonprofits, elected officials, candidates, ballot measures, and political entities.

Growing up as a first generation American in an insular community inspired Clark to become civically engaged to help build bridges with our diverse communities and to amplify our collective voice, beginning with registering new citizens to vote at naturalization ceremonies as a student alongside his younger siblings, Arnold and Olivia.

Professionally, Clark was founding partner of Thinking Cap Strategies LLC, a boutique public affairs consulting firm with local, state, and national clients, such as the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, California’s Proposition 1 to enshrine reproductive freedom in the State Constitution, Governor Gavin Newsom’s anti-recall campaign, Adam Schiff for Congress, Mike Fong for State Assembly, Robert Luna for Los Angeles County Sheriff, and Katy Yaroslavsky for Los Angeles City Council. 

Clark has served as general counsel for a national voter engagement nonprofit; a director for two presidential nominating conventions; state director for a climate action organization; and advisor or staff member for state and local nonprofits advancing civic engagement, legal services, and access to health care and social services serving the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community.  

As California Democratic Party Political Director, Clark scaled up its electoral and community engagement operations, spearheaded strategic partnership collaborations, and oversaw campaign efforts that helped flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives and strengthen the supermajorities in the California State Legislature. As Los Angeles County Democratic Party Political and Communications Director, he steered its electoral, organizing, legislative advocacy, voter protection, and communications operations that helped elect or re-elect hundreds of community leaders to public offices at local, state, and federal levels, such as President Barack Obama, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, and Governor Jerry Brown. Clark also served in various roles for elected officials and candidates, such as Governor Gray Davis, U.S. Representative Judy Chu, State Assembly Member Mike Eng, and LASC Judge Edwin Chau, Southwestern alumnus and former State Assembly Member for the 49^th District. Clark has organized training programs for elected officials, candidates, organizational leaders, professionals, activists, and students.

A civically engaged advocate, Clark served on the California Secretary of State’s Ballot Translation Advisory Group under Secretaries Debra Bowen and Alex Padilla. He was appointed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis to the Los Angeles County Information Systems Commission and the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board. Additionally, Clark served on the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Voting Systems Assessment Project Advisory Committee, Community Voter Outreach Committee, and Ballot Redesign Working Group; the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters Board of Directors; Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association Los Angeles Chapter Vice President and Mentoring Café Mentor; and various leadership positions in the Democratic Party. He helped organize community support in establishing the first environmental commission in the San Gabriel Valley region. Clark is a Truman National Security Project Partner and Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County Member.

Clark is a recipient of the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) inaugural national 40 Under 40 Award and more than a dozen AAPC Gold, Silver, and Bronze Pollie Awards, hailed as the “Oscars in political advertising;” Campaigns & Elections Reed Awards and Rising Star; the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs inaugural 40 Under 40 recognition; the New Leaders Council 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award; and the Claremont McKenna College Philip Roland Prize for Excellence in Public Affairs.

Clark graduated from Claremont McKenna College with Honors in Government and holds a Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School with two additional Southwestern alumni in his family, brother Arnold, and sister-in-law Elaine. Currently in Washington, DC, he hails from the San Gabriel Valley and enjoys hanging out with his rescued dog, Sua Sponte.