Have you ever thought about what it would be like to teach at Harvard, then run a big newspaper, and then be in charge of a giant university? That sounds like a lot of different jobs, does not it? One man has done all of that and more. His name is Clark Gilbert. His life has many interesting parts. He loves to learn. He loves to help people. He likes finding new ways to get things done. This article will tell you about Clark Gilbert. We will talk about his jobs, his big family, and how he changed the news business and schools. Let us get started and find out about this man in a way that is simple to follow.
Growing Up and Going to School
Clark Gilbert was born in California in 1970. When he was a young man, he did something that changed his life. He went to Japan for two years. He went there to share his faith with people. This taught him about a new country and a new way of life. He learned to speak Japanese. After he came home, he went to college at Brigham Young University in Utah. That is where he met a girl named Christine. She was his sister's roommate. Clark would walk to class at just the right time so he could see her. It worked out well. They got married in 1994. They started their life together. Clark kept studying hard even after getting married.
He went to a famous school called Stanford University. He got a master's degree there. But he did not stop. Next, he went to Harvard University. This is one of the best known schools in the whole world. He got a doctorate there. A doctorate is the highest degree you can earn. It means you know a lot about one topic. For Clark, that topic was business. He studied how companies change over time. After all that school work, he got a great job. He became a teacher at Harvard Business School. Think about teaching smart students from all over the world. He taught them about new ideas and how companies grow. He wrote many papers that other smart people read. He even won a prize for one of his papers in a top business magazine.
But being a teacher was not enough for him. He wanted to try his ideas in the real world. He had spent years learning about how businesses deal with change. Now he wanted to be the one making those changes happen. This is part of why his story is so interesting. He did not stay in the safe world of being a teacher. He took a chance and jumped into the messy real world of running a company.
Read Also: What Countries Are Banned From The 2026 Winter Olympics?
Taking Over a Newspaper
After almost ten years at Harvard, Clark Gilbert got a new kind of job. He moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. He became the boss of a big newspaper called the Deseret News. This was in 2010. This was a tough time for newspapers. The internet was getting very popular. Many people thought printed newspapers might go away for good. They were losing readers. They were losing money. Clark had studied this kind of change as a teacher. Now he had to fix it in real life. He became the president and CEO of the paper.
He came up with a smart plan. He started a new team just for the internet side of the news. He called this team Deseret Digital Media. He let them try new things and grow fast. He did not make them follow the old newspaper rules. He also knew the newspaper could not just copy what everyone else was doing. That would not work. So he gave the newspaper a clear job. He decided the Deseret News would write stories about six main topics. These topics were important to the people who read the paper. They were things like family, faith, and education. This helped the newspaper stand out from all the other news sites on the internet.
His ideas worked very well. Many more people started reading the news online. The number of people visiting the website grew by 50 percent. This was a big success. Many other newspapers were closing down at this time. Because he did such a good job, he won a prize. He was named "Innovator of the Year" by a big media group. He took an old business and helped it find new life online. He showed that even old companies can change if they have the right leader with the right ideas.
Moving Back to Schools
Clark Gilbert did a great job with the newspaper. But soon he got a call to go back to schools and learning. He was asked to become the president of Brigham Young University-Idaho. This is a school in a small town called Rexburg. He started this job in 2015. This was a different kind of test. He was not running a business anymore. He was in charge of a whole university with many students. He focused on helping students who might not have had a chance to go to college. He called them "everyday students." These were students with jobs, families, and not a lot of money.
While he was president, he saw something interesting. More and more students were taking classes online. The number of online students was actually getting bigger than the number of students who came to the school in person. This gave him a big idea. What if there was a whole new school just for these online learners? He told this idea to the leaders of his church. They liked it. They wanted to start a new online college. It would be cheaper and easier for people all over the world to join.
This is where things got really busy. In 2017, the church leaders asked Clark Gilbert to do two jobs at the same time. They wanted him to stay as president of BYU-Idaho. They also wanted him to become the first leader of a new online school. They named this new school BYU-Pathway Worldwide. This was a very hard job. He had to run a big university in one town. He also had to build a brand new school from scratch. This new school would teach students all over the planet. He had to travel back and forth a lot. He went between Rexburg and Salt Lake City. He loved helping students. But after a few years, the job became too big for one person.
In 2021, he and the church leaders made a hard choice. They decided it was time for him to focus on just one job. He left his job as president of BYU-Idaho. This let him give all his time and energy to leading BYU-Pathway Worldwide. It was a smart move. It showed that he knew it was better to do one thing really well than to do two big things just okay. It takes a wise person to know their limits.
Life at Home with Family
So what is Clark Gilbert like when he is not working? He is a family man. He and his wife Christine have a very big family. They have eight children. Can you picture having that many kids? It must be a busy house. It must be loud and fun. They also have many grandkids now. Having eight kids means you have to be good at sharing. You have to be patient. You have to work as a team. His family likely taught him many of the skills he uses as a leader at work.
He is also a religious man. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some people call this the Mormon church. His faith is a big part of who he is. All the schools he led are owned by the church. His trip to Japan as a young man came from his faith too. For him, his job is not just about money. It is a way to serve God and help other people. He thinks education can change lives. He thinks it can help people build a better future for their families. His whole work life shows that he wants to use his skills to make the world better, one student at a time. He once said his goal is to help students learn new skills and find good jobs.
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What We Can Learn from Him?
Clark Gilbert's life shows us some simple but strong lessons. First, it is okay to change paths. He went from being a teacher to a business man to a school president. He did not just stay on one road. He looked for new ways to help people. Second, it is good to solve real problems. He saw that newspapers were in trouble and he found a way to help them. He saw that many people could not pay for college and he helped create a new way for them to learn. He used his brain to help others. This is what makes a good leader.
His story is also about trying new things. At the newspaper, he started a digital team. In schools, he helped start a whole new online university. He was not scared of the internet or new technology. Instead, he asked, "How can we use this to do a better job?" That is a good question for all of us to think about. We live in a world that is always changing. We can be scared of change. Or we can be like Clark Gilbert and find the good in it. He shows us that with hard work and an open mind, one person can make a big difference in many parts of life. His work with BYU-Pathway Worldwide now helps many students get degrees they never thought possible. That is a pretty great thing to be known for.
Frequently Asked Questions about Clark Gilbert
1. What is Clark Gilbert known for?
Clark Gilbert is known for being a leader in both the news business and in higher education. He helped save the Deseret News by focusing on digital media. He is also known for being the first president of BYU-Pathway Worldwide. This is an online school that helps students all over the world get a college degree at a low price.
2. Where did Clark Gilbert study in college?
Clark Gilbert studied at some of the best schools in the country. He started at Brigham Young University in Utah. Then he went to Stanford University in California for his master's degree. Last, he got his doctorate from Harvard University. This means he went to three top universities.
3. Does Clark Gilbert have a big family?
Yes he does. He and his wife Christine have eight children. They also have many grandchildren. He often talks about how much he loves his family. Having such a large family has likely taught him a lot about being patient and being a leader.
Evelyn Harper
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to teach at Harvard, then run a big newspaper, and then be in charge of a giant university? That sounds like a lot of different jobs, does not it? One man has done all of that and more. His name is Clark Gilbert. His life has many interesting parts. He loves to learn. He loves to help people. He likes finding new ways to get things done. This article will tell you about Clark Gilbert. We will talk about his jobs, his big family, and how he changed the news business and schools. Let us get started and find out about this man in a way that is simple to follow.
Growing Up and Going to School
Clark Gilbert was born in California in 1970. When he was a young man, he did something that changed his life. He went to Japan for two years. He went there to share his faith with people. This taught him about a new country and a new way of life. He learned to speak Japanese. After he came home, he went to college at Brigham Young University in Utah. That is where he met a girl named Christine. She was his sister's roommate. Clark would walk to class at just the right time so he could see her. It worked out well. They got married in 1994. They started their life together. Clark kept studying hard even after getting married.
He went to a famous school called Stanford University. He got a master's degree there. But he did not stop. Next, he went to Harvard University. This is one of the best known schools in the whole world. He got a doctorate there. A doctorate is the highest degree you can earn. It means you know a lot about one topic. For Clark, that topic was business. He studied how companies change over time. After all that school work, he got a great job. He became a teacher at Harvard Business School. Think about teaching smart students from all over the world. He taught them about new ideas and how companies grow. He wrote many papers that other smart people read. He even won a prize for one of his papers in a top business magazine.
But being a teacher was not enough for him. He wanted to try his ideas in the real world. He had spent years learning about how businesses deal with change. Now he wanted to be the one making those changes happen. This is part of why his story is so interesting. He did not stay in the safe world of being a teacher. He took a chance and jumped into the messy real world of running a company.
Read Also: What Countries Are Banned From The 2026 Winter Olympics?
Taking Over a Newspaper
After almost ten years at Harvard, Clark Gilbert got a new kind of job. He moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. He became the boss of a big newspaper called the Deseret News. This was in 2010. This was a tough time for newspapers. The internet was getting very popular. Many people thought printed newspapers might go away for good. They were losing readers. They were losing money. Clark had studied this kind of change as a teacher. Now he had to fix it in real life. He became the president and CEO of the paper.
He came up with a smart plan. He started a new team just for the internet side of the news. He called this team Deseret Digital Media. He let them try new things and grow fast. He did not make them follow the old newspaper rules. He also knew the newspaper could not just copy what everyone else was doing. That would not work. So he gave the newspaper a clear job. He decided the Deseret News would write stories about six main topics. These topics were important to the people who read the paper. They were things like family, faith, and education. This helped the newspaper stand out from all the other news sites on the internet.
His ideas worked very well. Many more people started reading the news online. The number of people visiting the website grew by 50 percent. This was a big success. Many other newspapers were closing down at this time. Because he did such a good job, he won a prize. He was named "Innovator of the Year" by a big media group. He took an old business and helped it find new life online. He showed that even old companies can change if they have the right leader with the right ideas.
Moving Back to Schools
Clark Gilbert did a great job with the newspaper. But soon he got a call to go back to schools and learning. He was asked to become the president of Brigham Young University-Idaho. This is a school in a small town called Rexburg. He started this job in 2015. This was a different kind of test. He was not running a business anymore. He was in charge of a whole university with many students. He focused on helping students who might not have had a chance to go to college. He called them "everyday students." These were students with jobs, families, and not a lot of money.
While he was president, he saw something interesting. More and more students were taking classes online. The number of online students was actually getting bigger than the number of students who came to the school in person. This gave him a big idea. What if there was a whole new school just for these online learners? He told this idea to the leaders of his church. They liked it. They wanted to start a new online college. It would be cheaper and easier for people all over the world to join.
This is where things got really busy. In 2017, the church leaders asked Clark Gilbert to do two jobs at the same time. They wanted him to stay as president of BYU-Idaho. They also wanted him to become the first leader of a new online school. They named this new school BYU-Pathway Worldwide. This was a very hard job. He had to run a big university in one town. He also had to build a brand new school from scratch. This new school would teach students all over the planet. He had to travel back and forth a lot. He went between Rexburg and Salt Lake City. He loved helping students. But after a few years, the job became too big for one person.
In 2021, he and the church leaders made a hard choice. They decided it was time for him to focus on just one job. He left his job as president of BYU-Idaho. This let him give all his time and energy to leading BYU-Pathway Worldwide. It was a smart move. It showed that he knew it was better to do one thing really well than to do two big things just okay. It takes a wise person to know their limits.
Life at Home with Family
So what is Clark Gilbert like when he is not working? He is a family man. He and his wife Christine have a very big family. They have eight children. Can you picture having that many kids? It must be a busy house. It must be loud and fun. They also have many grandkids now. Having eight kids means you have to be good at sharing. You have to be patient. You have to work as a team. His family likely taught him many of the skills he uses as a leader at work.
He is also a religious man. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some people call this the Mormon church. His faith is a big part of who he is. All the schools he led are owned by the church. His trip to Japan as a young man came from his faith too. For him, his job is not just about money. It is a way to serve God and help other people. He thinks education can change lives. He thinks it can help people build a better future for their families. His whole work life shows that he wants to use his skills to make the world better, one student at a time. He once said his goal is to help students learn new skills and find good jobs.
You May Also Like: How Many People Watched The Halftime Show 2026?
What We Can Learn from Him?
Clark Gilbert's life shows us some simple but strong lessons. First, it is okay to change paths. He went from being a teacher to a business man to a school president. He did not just stay on one road. He looked for new ways to help people. Second, it is good to solve real problems. He saw that newspapers were in trouble and he found a way to help them. He saw that many people could not pay for college and he helped create a new way for them to learn. He used his brain to help others. This is what makes a good leader.
His story is also about trying new things. At the newspaper, he started a digital team. In schools, he helped start a whole new online university. He was not scared of the internet or new technology. Instead, he asked, "How can we use this to do a better job?" That is a good question for all of us to think about. We live in a world that is always changing. We can be scared of change. Or we can be like Clark Gilbert and find the good in it. He shows us that with hard work and an open mind, one person can make a big difference in many parts of life. His work with BYU-Pathway Worldwide now helps many students get degrees they never thought possible. That is a pretty great thing to be known for.
Frequently Asked Questions about Clark Gilbert
1. What is Clark Gilbert known for?
Clark Gilbert is known for being a leader in both the news business and in higher education. He helped save the Deseret News by focusing on digital media. He is also known for being the first president of BYU-Pathway Worldwide. This is an online school that helps students all over the world get a college degree at a low price.
2. Where did Clark Gilbert study in college?
Clark Gilbert studied at some of the best schools in the country. He started at Brigham Young University in Utah. Then he went to Stanford University in California for his master's degree. Last, he got his doctorate from Harvard University. This means he went to three top universities.
3. Does Clark Gilbert have a big family?
Yes he does. He and his wife Christine have eight children. They also have many grandchildren. He often talks about how much he loves his family. Having such a large family has likely taught him a lot about being patient and being a leader.