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Southeast Queens native named incoming leader of Tech:NYC

Jason Clarke -05927
Jamaica native Jason Myles Clark has been named the new executive director of Tech:NYC. (Photo credit: Jay Marist, Dos Ojos)

Jamaica, Queens, native Jason Myles Clark has been appointed as the new executive director of Tech:NYC, the organization that mobilizes the expertise and resources of the tech sector to work with city and state government on policies that ensure New York’s innovation economy thrives.

Clark will succeed founding Executive Director Julie Samuels beginning on Jan. 24. Samuels announced her departure in July 2021, and will remain on the organization’s board of directors.

“After almost two years, New Yorkers are still grappling with the biggest crisis of a generation, but the city’s spirit of resilience — matched with the tech sector’s commitment to innovation — makes me optimistic that we can create a better future. I am excited to do my part as the head of Tech:NYC, advocating for new economic opportunities that improve the lives of all New Yorkers,” Clark said. “I look forward to working with all of our members to expand access to workforce development opportunities and the sector’s many resources in every borough.”

Clark was born and raised in southeast Queens. He comes to Tech:NYC from the boutique law firm Hamilton Clark LLP, where he was a partner and led the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Government Investigations practices. Clark previously spent nine years as an assistant attorney general in the Office of the New York State Attorney General, including five years as the First Attorney for the Harlem Regional Office.

“I’ve always said Tech:NYC is a community of people who are first and foremost New Yorkers. Jason is definitely that, and it’s why I know he’ll continue to build meaningful partnerships between tech and the city with the interests of everyday New Yorkers top of mind,” Samuels said. “I’m incredibly proud of everything the Tech:NYC team has accomplished in the past six years, growing the organization from five founding members to 800 and counting. I can’t wait to see where Jason takes them.”

Clark is involved with several community organizations in New York. An alumnus of the Bronx High School of Science, he founded DREAMChasers, which helps students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds attend NYC’s specialized high schools.

Clark is also the legal director of Good Call NYC, which connects arrested New Yorkers with a free attorney prior to arraignment. He also served as president of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association from 2018 to 2020.

“Since he was young, Jason has been motivated by the amount of good he knows he can do for the city that he loves,” said Dr. Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference. “I am proud to see him take on such an impactful role as head of Tech:NYC at a time when so many New Yorkers, especially in our Black and Brown communities, need the jobs, resources and overall economic mobility that tech can offer. I know Jason will make sure that happens.”

In 2021, Clark ran for City Council in District 27, his home district. Throughout the campaign, Clark met with community stakeholders and built relationships with policymakers and changemakers in Queens and across New York.

“From my time with him on Community Board 10 in Harlem, I can say Jason Clark is someone who knows how to not just get people back on their feet today, but get them moving forward tomorrow, too,” Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin said. “Jason puts words into action because he truly cares about the outcomes of the people he serves. New Yorkers are lucky to have him working for their interests in tech as the new executive director of Tech:NYC.”