Rolls-Royce welcomed Admiral Vern Clark, U.S. Navy (Ret.) to the Board of Rolls-Royce North America Holdings Inc.
Admiral Clark joins the Board after 37 years of distinguished service with the U.S. Navy. Most recently he was Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), the senior-most military officer in the U.S. Navy, and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving as the principal naval adviser to the President.
The second-longest serving CNO in history, Admiral Clark sought to position the Navy for the future.
He published SeaPower 21, a vision for the 21 st century, and led the development of a human capital strategy to revolutionize the training, development and related processes to support the men and women of the Navy.
He also forged partnerships with industry with the twin goals of enhancing the business mindset within the Navy and encouraging greater customer focus on the part of industry.
His career is characterized by commitment to leadership and a range of command experiences. From a Patrol Boat as a Lieutenant, to CNO, Admiral Clark served more than half his career in command, including ships, two destroyer squadrons, a carrier battle group, NATO’s Striking Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet, among others.
His career is also marked by an emphasis on joint service; in the decade of the 90s, he spent nearly seven years in the joint and combined area, culminating as Director of the Joint Staff.