Kim Clark named interim assistant vice president for student affairs — health and well-being

DSAES News
July 21, 2022

Kim Clark, executive director of Campus Recreation, has been appointed the new interim assistant vice president for student affairs — health and well-being in the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services.

Clark will take over for Dr. Suzy Harrington, who is departing for a new opportunity at Texas Children’s Hospital. Kim will continue to also serve as executive director of Campus Recreation and provide strategic oversight to the department. Her new interim role will be effective April 18, 2022.

“I have been impressed with Kim’s strategic and forward-thinking leadership of Campus Recreation over the last decade and with her contributions to the campus recreation and wellness field for almost 30 years,” said Dr. Daniel Maxwell, interim vice president for student affairs and enrollment services. “I am confident she will take the same inviting and inclusive approach in leading the health and well-being portfolio.”

As interim assistant vice president, Clark will also oversee the rest of the health and well-being portfolio in DSAES, which includes Counseling and Psychological Services, UH Wellness, Cougar Cupboard, Student Health Center, Cougars in Recovery and the Dart Student Accessibility Center.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the interim assistant vice president for student affairs,” Clark said. “It is an honor and a privilege to work with such great colleagues who are committed to supporting the health and well-being of our UH students and community.”

Clark has been with the University of Houston and Division of Student Affairs since February 2012, when she started as director of campus recreation. She was appointed executive director of the department last year, and she has proven to be an exceptional leader. As executive director of Campus Recreation, she oversees and guides our recreation facilities, programs and services for the Coog community.

As executive director of Campus Recreation, she manages a team of 15 professional staff members, six graduate assistants and more than 300 students, all working to provide services in six program areas. In the past 10 years with UH Campus Recreation, Clark has created the Cougar Cub Camp, and she has grown programming in aquatics, intramural sports, sports clubs and fitness. Her work casts a wide net at UH, as she collaborates extensively across campus with academic affairs, athletics, numerous university departments, student organizations, and other stakeholders involved with campus recreation programming.

A native Texan, Clark earned her bachelor’s degree in recreation administration with a minor in business from the University of North Texas. She has a Master of Science in Sport Administration from the University of Arizona. Clark is a member of the NIRSA: Leaders within Collegiate Recreation, and she has served on numerous committees and work groups, including the NIRSA Region IV Program Committee, Nominations and Elections Committee, and the Health and Well-Being Task Force Member Resource Development Work Team.

Before joining UH, Clark served as the associate director of Campus Recreation at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and she also previously worked at the University of Arizona as the assistant director of facilities.

“Kim is the perfect choice for interim assistant vice president and to keep UH Health and Well-being’s momentum moving forward,” Harrington said. “UH Health and Well-Being, and the six departments that make up the portfolio, are in excellent hands."