In the South Carolina foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Bobby Clark, director, CCIT procurement and IT vendor management for Clemson University, has been refining his specific cloud superhero skill set for more than three decades.
During his tenure at Clemson, Clark has steadily worked his way up the ranks by learning the ins-and-outs of IT strategic management, IT finance, vendor management, and procurement. He has been a regular contributor to the all-volunteer R&E cloud community and currently serves as chair of the NET+ Business, Procurement and Legal Advisory Committee.
Putting People First
Calling himself a superhero doesn’t seem to fit with Clark’s approach to life. In fact, he doesn’t even see himself as a “computer person.”
“No, I think there was a time when I was a techie, but I’m not anymore,” said Clark. “ I’m actually a people person, who often finds himself straddling the bridge between procurement, the user community, and the technological guys.”
In fact, Clark sees people skills as the necessary ingredient to the success of any IT support role. “Support is about talking to people,” said Clark, “and, I’ve always been pretty good at that.”
When asked about the dedication and time he’s invested in the R&E cloud community, Clark directs the conversation back to community and conversation as the key to both the cloud future and IT in general. “Clemson is better served being in a community where our voice can be amplified and where we can learn from other people,” he said. “Anyone who thinks that a single university can take on the challenges of what we see coming, not just with cloud applications, but IT in general, is mistaken.”
According to Clark, his tenure at Clemson also gives him credibility with many folks, who feel comfortable working with him in situations where he sometimes acts as an IT mediator. “I translate for them,” he continued. “If I have a superpower, it’s that I can understand both sides of the argument and hopefully have a conversation where both sides win.”