In Blake Clark’s world, everything revolves around improvement. But he also values impact.
“It’s important to me that my work also provides a ‘good’ in society,” he says.
Degrees in industrial engineering (B.S. ”22, M.S. ’23) paved the way for Clark to bring unique perspective to his team in his current position at Chevron Renewable Energy Group.
Getting to work in advancing the energy transition is exciting to him. As Clark sees it, his role in the energy industry enables him to work towards providing affordable, reliable and cleaner energy for everyone.
When he began at Iowa State, Clark was an undecided engineering major, but quickly gravitated towards industrial engineering.
“Industrial engineering attracted me because of its versatility in many different fields and a closer tie to the business and management world which is something I wanted to keep and the area I now work in,” says Clark.
He worked as a part-time student associate for Chevron Renewable Energy Group after graduation while working to finish his M.S. degree in industrial engineering the following semester. Clark’s part-time role was working on strategic initiatives, a business development team within the sales and marketing team.
Clark now works for Chevron Renewable Energy Group full-time as a business analyst, Integrated Go-To-Market. He also joined the non-profit world in October 2023 as director and treasurer of the Caitlin Clark Foundation.
Unique Iowa State experience? “I had the opportunity to collaborate with Matt Frank and Leslie Potter on the production of the “Cyclone Shield” during the pandemic. As a member of the football team, I served as the test dummy throughout the summer to provide user feedback to Dr. Frank and Leslie on how the shield was performing. This device was crucial in enabling our ability to compete with no canceled practices or games due to a COVID outbreak and ensure the health and safety of those in our program.”
Ultimately, says Clark, “My time in Iowa State’s industrial engineering program taught me how to be a hard worker and identify best solutions for problems.”