Clark Aldrich - Education and Work Experiences

Education and Work Experiences

Clark Aldrich grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, and graduated from Fenn School and Lawrence Academy. He spent eight summers at the Chewonki Foundation, including four as a counselor, under the mentorship of Director Tim Ellis. He received his Bachelor Degree in Cognitive Science from Brown University. Aldrich worked at Xerox, initially as the speech writer for Executive Vice President Wayland Hicks. While at Xerox, Aldrich became the Governor’s appointee to Connecticut’s Joint Committee on Educational Technology (where he served from 1996-2000). Aldrich then moved to Gartner, where he launched their e-learning coverage, and began his formal writing and analysis about education. He was recognized by Training Magazine as a "Visionary of the Industry" and by Fortune Magazine as an "Industry Guru" in 2000, and by the American Society of Training and Development as a member of "Training's New Guard" in 2001. He left Gartner to begin hands-on work in designing and building simulations himself, where he also increased his external writing about the industry through books, columns, and articles. To find best practices, Aldrich works with military, academic, corporate, government, and non-profit organizations. His simulations have also earned numerous industry awards. including "Best Product of the Year" in 2004 by Training Media Review. In 2004, CNN profiled him as a "maverick." His 2009 book The Complete Guide to Simulations and Serious Games was awarded one of the best training products of the year by Training Media Review.