Doug Clarke
Chief Environmental Health & Safety Officer
Facilities Services
Facilities Services
"Every human act posits a higher possibility.
"
- William Parry, Professor of Sculpture at Alfred University (and a favorite uncle)
Education
- BA, Cum Laude: Environmental Studies, Departmental Honors, Alfred University, 2001
Specialties / Areas of Interest
- Environmental History, Sustainability
Biography
Coming from a long line of Seventh Day Baptists including Dr. John Clarke who obtained the first colonial charter (for Rhode Island) which secured religious liberty for all citizens, Doug's ancestors came to Alfred the same year as Alfred University's founding, 1836. His ancestors funded scholarships, served as Professors of Mathematics and Sociology, Registrar, and Dean of Women, and his great-grandfather was Acting President when beloved President Jonathan Allen died. Doug's son is in the sixth generation of his family to graduate from Alfred University.Doug spent his freshman year at Alfred University but transferred to an international experiential program and then spent two decades working as a technician and engineer in the electronic and structural ceramics fields in South Carolina, Juarez, Mexico, and Alfred.
Returning to Alfred, Doug purchased 32 acres outside of town, and continued work in structural ceramics while his wife earned her Masters, then worked a decade in renovation and construction, and even dabbled briefly in retail.
Returning to his alma mater 23 years after transferring out, Doug earned his Bachelor's degree in 2001, the same year his son turned 5. He served as Technician for Environmental Studies at Alfred University and taught Environmental Science at Alfred State College before becoming an independent contractor.
In 2011, he was hired as Technician for A.U.'s Biology Division, where he remained until September 2022, when he became Chief of Environmental Health and Safety.
In his "spare" time, he and his sweetheart keep six horses which they ride and drive, and they frequently travel to places like the American west, Michigan, and Japan.
He runs a small Hipcamp.com campground in his woods, and leads guided nature walks. Doug is currently Chief of A.E. Crandall Hook and Ladder Company, as well as Alfred Town Historian, and a Deacon and Trustee of the Alfred Seventh Day Baptist Church.
Courses Taught
- Environmental Studies, at Alfred State College, Fall 2005.
Activities
- Hiking
- Skiing (downhill & cross-country)
- Sailing
- Bicycling
- Canoeing
- Horseback Riding/Driving
- Writing (fiction & non-fiction)
- Alfred Town Historian
- Genealogy and family history
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