Meet Keyva Clark

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keyva Clark.

Hi Keyva, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In 2014 while completing my bachelor’s degree, I was at a fork in the road. I could study abroad or participate in the UCDC (University of California District of Columbia) program. I considered my options, thought about my future and decided the UCDC program would make the most sense. I would later come to understand how this choice has impacted my life in more ways than I could understand there.

Spring of 2014, I packed two suitcases and flew to Washington, D.C., for what was supposed to be 10 weeks. After three weeks in, I was in love with the city and the culture, + they knew how to brunch. I quickly tried to think of ways to extend my time there, and that’s when all the magic happened. I landed a paid internship at a startup consulting firm for the summer, which meant my 10 weeks would turn into nearly four months. This would also be my introduction to my first political experience and be the catalyst for my career.

I returned to my school at the end of the summer with new perspectives and goals. Instead of focusing on my future legal career, I was going to concentrate on fellowships that aligned with getting work experience. I would at some point during my last year, accept a spot in CORO Pittsburgh a public affairs leadership program. In August 2015, I packed up my Camry and drove east toward Pittsburgh. I distinctly remember one of the first people we interviewed as a cohort was a young city councilman – that councilman would later one day become my boss.

Fast forward to summer of 2016, the program was over and I was eagerly looking for my next opportunity. It was a heated summer, Hilary was campaigning and so was Trump. I got picked up by a superpac to run a local ground operation in Pittsburgh and surrounding municipalities. This would be the summer of the campaign cycle that forever changed me and those around me. By 2017 I was feeling burnt out and thinking I needed a different experience that is until I got a call that the Mayor of Pittsburgh was interested in talking to me about running his re-election campaign. I attempted to put this off and took it with a grain of salt. By February of that year, I was fully on board and searching for our campaign headquarters. We won the primary and went unchallenged (mostly) if you don’t count the write-ins during the general. I took a job in his administration and that is where I stayed for the nearly the next two years. One month before my two-year mark a State Rep approached me to be his Chief of Staff – I would stay with him throughout the pandemic that is until the summer of 2020 when a political associate called asking about me joining the Pennsylvania Biden-Harris team. The campaign is a blur. I was working and caregiving for my then ill grandmother – she would live to see the Biden-Harris victory.

After my grandmother died I felt I needed real change. I decided I was done with government and politics, it had taken its toll and frankly, it is more brutal than people think. As always, as soon as I am sure I am out an opportunity comes knocking. A woman who I had come to befriend during the campaign reached out about various opportunities in the administration and for nearly a year, I was adamant about not being interested. In the summer of 2021, she called and she was convinced she find the perfect role for me. As usual, I had excuses but she wouldn’t take no, by October I was interviewing and in January of 2022, I was negotiating a salary. I was appointed Director of Public Engagement at the U.S. General Service Administration at the ripe age of 33. The young energetic girl who had arrived in DC spring of 2014 could have never imagined she would one day become a presidential appointee.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all. The biggest obstacle has always been getting into the right spaces at the right time to meet the people who can help guide you and get you to where you want to be.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I like to say that what I do is help keep democracy alive. I am what most would consider a generalist in my field. I know a lot about a lot but specialize in nothing except always wanting to help people. I am most proud of all the times I created an impact on citizens, especially during the beginning of the pandemic when many folks did not know how or when things would change. My team and I worked during that time to ensure at-risk populations such as seniors were not forgotten about. For example, we created a senior wellness program to help identify seniors in need. We coordinated with local food banks and did drops off to high rises and homes.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Via Linkedin or email.