From Classroom to Campus Leader

Dr. Leslie Clark’s story begins in the late 1980’s at Collinsville High School, where she stood at a turning point that would shape the next three decades of her life. As she weighed her options between her junior and senior year, she realized that athletics would not be her path forward. Instead, she made a choice that would set everything else in motion, she enrolled in Tulsa Tech’s Nursing Options class. That decision became the foundation of a career marked by service, leadership and a deep commitment to helping others grow.

At Tulsa Tech, Clark immersed herself fully. She joined HOSA, served as her class reporter and attended conferences that broadened her understanding of the medical field. The certifications she earned as a high school senior opened a door into Ascension St. John Medical Center, where she began working while continuing her education. The opportunity changed her life.

“I was able to go to school on grants and be able to pay my way because of that certification and the employment that I had acquired. Tulsa Tech ultimately provided me with an opportunity to work a full-time career at St. John in the medical field and establish my own independence,” Clark said.

Clark continued her training through additional certifications at St. John, but another calling kept rising to the surface. She found herself drawn to teaching, so she began a new academic path at Tulsa Community College, eventually earning her education degree from Northeastern State University. She later earned graduate degrees in counseling and administration, building a foundation that would guide her entire career in public education.

After six years in nursing, Clark shifted from hospital halls to school hallways. She taught science at Owasso Public Schools before moving into counseling and later serving as a building administrator. In 2013, she stepped into career training once again, this time as an assistant director at Tulsa Tech’s Broken Arrow Campus. With her combined experience in healthcare, education, counseling and administration, the role felt like a natural fit.

A few years later, she applied for a position at the Peoria Campus. She didn’t get the job, but the interview opened another door. Tulsa Tech leadership moved her into a role at the STEM Academy, placing her in the same building where she once studied as a teenager. Only a year later, an assistant director position opened at the Owasso Campus. Clark applied, was hired and eventually stepped into the director role when her predecessor retired.

“I was thankful for that because I got to go back to the community that I essentially established my education career in,” Clark said. “I am very thankful that I have 30+ years of relationships in this community.”

Clark has led the Owasso Campus since 2018. What makes her proudest is seeing students transform their futures. She believes Tulsa Tech offers a chance to break generational cycles tied to poverty or unemployment.

“If students want opportunities, the opportunities are here,” said Clark. “They will never have to be unemployed.”

Away from work, Clark embraces a quieter world. She and her husband, Dan, own an 80-acre farm in Nowata County full of rescued barn cats, cows, chickens, a horse named Badger and a donkey named Ethel, who became something of a local celebrity when the couple lived on Garnett Road. Clark bakes sourdough bread, spends time outdoors and enjoys the sense of home the property brings back from childhood visits to her grandparents.

Finding the farm took nearly twenty years, but the moment she stepped onto the land, she knew it was right.

“I’ve never been drawn to a property like I have been drawn to this. We are so fortunate to have found this property that had everything on our list,” Clark said.

She believes challenges often come with blessings hidden inside, a perspective that has guided her choices and her leadership. And although people frequently ask when she plans to retire, she isn’t ready for that step. Tulsa Tech, she says, still has her full attention.

In addition to her work on campus, Clark serves on the Executive Board of the Owasso Chamber of Commerce, supports A New Leaf Inc., participates in the Owasso Charter Council’s Scholarship Selection Committee and volunteers with Skiatook Paws & Claws, where she has also fostered dogs.

Her path began with a simple high school decision that changed everything. Today, Dr. Leslie Clark stands as a leader shaped by resilience, service and a belief in the power of opportunity, both for herself and for the students she serves.