Virginia B. Clark is the Smithsonian’s director of Advancement and Philanthropic Giving, overseeing the Office of Advancement, which is involved in building non-appropriated financial support for the Smithsonian. She joined the Smithsonian in summer 2002.

Clark directs Smithsonian-wide development activities and shares supervisory responsibility with the directors of the museum and research centers for fund raising staff and programs.

Clark is a veteran of professional development work at the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as associate dean for external affairs at the Wharton School before becoming vice president for development and alumni relations. Under her leadership, the university received the 2003 Case Award for Overall Performance.

Clark currently serves as a trustee for the Salem International University in West Virginia, and she is a director on the Schiller International University board. She was a trustee of Southern Ohio Colleges, and she served as president of the American Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that awards academic scholarships to economically disadvantaged or in-need career college students. She also served on the board of The Haverford Trust Company of Philadelphia. Clark is a graduate of Boston University (1971). 

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