Seasoned traveler gives back to the College of Engineering

Stretching across continents and oceans, the Aggie Spirit follows graduates as they embark on various journeys. 

In Brisbane, Australia — more than 8,000 miles from College Station — former student Dan Clark is a testament to the global reach of Texas A&M University. Across the world, Clark is supporting current Aggie engineering students through the Brenda and Dan Clark ’90 Endowed Mechanical Engineering Scholarship in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering. 

Choosing Aggieland

Originally from Kingwood, Texas, Clark followed in his older brother’s footsteps to Texas A&M. His first two years on campus were spent in Hotard Hall during a golden era for Aggie football and campus life. Clark cherishes memories of gamedays and watching the Corps of Cadets march in with his dad, a retired U.S. Army veteran, and mom. He also remarked on the powerful nature of attending Silver Taps, an unreplicated tradition. 

During his time as a mechanical engineering student, Clark’s ambitions were fueled by hands-on industry experience. He interned with Conoco over two summer breaks and was accepted into their management development program following graduation, which began his tenured career with the company. 

Clark’s career took him across Texas, from San Angelo — where he met his wife, Brenda — to Houston, Farmington, New Mexico and Midland before venturing overseas. Following Conoco’s merger with Phillips Petroleum, he received an opportunity to move to Jakarta, Indonesia, with Brenda and their three daughters — Abigail, Danielle and Kayla. 

“There were a lot of challenges and a lot of great opportunities,” Clark said. “We were able to travel and see the world, gaining a lot of great cultural perspective.”

After three years in Indonesia, the family returned to the United States in Anchorage, Alaska. In the frigid climates and beautiful landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, Clark watched his kids grow into adulthood and enjoyed his life in the great outdoors. 

“Alaska was a pretty special place for a lot of reasons,” Clark said. “We were there a long time, which has not been typical for us. We were there for 10 years and had an opportunity to become part of the community in a deep way. And we greatly enjoyed the outdoor life there.”

To round out his world tour, Clark more recently worked in Qatar and currently resides in Australia as the CEO of Australia Pacific LNG, a joint venture of ConocoPhillips, Origin Energy and Sinopec. 

Even in the Outback, Clark has experienced the expansiveness of the Aggie Network. 

“Texas A&M has a far-reaching impact around the world, and our graduates go everywhere,” he said. 

Giving back from miles away

“I have always aspired to continue to challenge myself with different opportunities. I wanted to see different places, experience different work locations, geology and petroleum systems and the nature of the business,” Clark said. “That desire led to a lot of these opportunities. It has resulted in a real richness to my career and our life.”

Reflecting on his years as a Texas A&M student, Clark said scholarship support played a pivotal role in his college experience. This motivated him to establish a scholarship for mechanical engineering students, with the hope that current Aggies will enjoy the same opportunities and create lasting memories. 

“Brenda and I feel blessed to be able to give back and help others with what we hope leads to both personal and professional success for the scholarship recipients,” he said. ‘We are very pleased to be able to support mechanical engineering at Texas A&M.”