Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

R. Benjamin Clark III was born at Ft. Bragg North Carolina in 1959 and spent his youth growing up in Fayetteville North Carolina. In 1981, he graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro North Carolina with a B.S. degree in Industrial Technology.  Upon graduation, he was recognized as a distinguished graduate of the University’s Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps program. He then entered and completed a 20-year career in the United States Air Force.

While on active duty he earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.   During his Air Force career, Benjamin served in numerous assignments throughout the United States and Europe.  His assignments included serving as a Satellite Communications Branch Chief for the United States Air Force European Communications Division, Radio Spectrum Manager for the Allied Air Forces Central Europe, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and Operations Manager at the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington D.C.  He retired from active duty service in the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2001. 

After retiring from the Air Force, Benjamin completed a graduate level teacher
certification program at George Washington University and taught pre engineering technology courses in a Maryland public high school for a year until returning to North Carolina. He continued to work in the field of education by serving part time for two years as an online public school science teacher. Benjamin is currently employed by a defense contractor at the Fort Bragg Battle Command Training Center.  He serves as the Chief of the Collective Training Branch and is in charge of running an activity responsible training army battle command staffs in the use of specialized computer systems for planning, tracking and executing battlefield operations.

If elected to be your senator, I will serve the interests of our district to the fullest
extent accorded to members of the North Carolina General Assembly. With honor and integrity, I will render this service while participating in deliberations on legislation, budget negotiations, committee hearings, and public forums to address your concerns.

As we look at the statistics that serve as indicators of the level of prosperity
within our district, it is clear that we are in need of a transformation. As your senator I will lead the effort to begin the process of transformation now. I have a clear vision for the future of our community. It is a vision in which we seek to ensure a sound educational opportunity for our youth, access to affordable and quality healthcare for all, and sustainable economic opportunity and growth across all segments of the district.

As a 20-year military veteran who still has ties with the defense establishment, I
am well aware of the significant contributions that our men and women in uniform, active and retired, provide to our community. As such, I will do all that I can to ensure that our state recognizes this contribution in words and deeds. 

With your support, I will be a competent and reliable agent of change on your
behalf, possessing the willingness, energy, and dedication to run the distance on our journey to achieve a more prosperous district.  Along the way, I will use the public platform accorded to this office to trumpet the causes championed by our citizens. I shall be a leader who serves as an honest and disciplined steward of the citizen’s trust. Representing you as your senator is a call to service. It is a call that I fully accept, to serve as an agent for positive change.