Hollandale native Carlisle Clarke has been named CEO of Delta Council.
The organization announced Clarke’s new title on Thursday. He is the fourth CEO in Delta Council’s 90-plus year history and joins the organization after serving as vice president at Van Scoyoc Associates, a multi-client lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. He joined the firm in 2019 following a 12-year career on Capitol Hill.
“Carlisle Clarke is an outstanding selection to be the next leader of Delta Council. Raised in Hollandale, Carlisle knows the Delta’s people, the challenges, and the opportunities,” U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) said.
“The relationships he has built during nearly two decades of impressive work experience in Washington will be crucial to helping the Delta and Mississippi thrive. I am excited about working with Carlisle in this new role and helping him and the Delta succeed going forward.”
Clarke was formerly the majority clerk of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, a position with jurisdiction over more than $140 billion in annual spending.
In this role, he managed all funding and administrative oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and FDA, including disaster supplemental appropriations.
“Congratulations to Carlisle Clarke, who will do an excellent job leading the Delta Council,” U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said. “I look forward to working with Carlisle and the rest of the Council to advance the interests of the great Mississippi Delta.”
Delta Council officials believe Clarke is fit for the CEO position due to his understanding of both the challenges and opportunities presented in agriculture and rural development. Clarke served on the Presidential Transition Team in 2016, helping to craft policy priorities for the USDA ahead of President Donald Trump’s first four-year stint in the White House.
Earlier in his career, Clarke worked in the personal office of the late U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). He is also one of the few experts who worked with federal lawmakers on both the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and the Agriculture Committee. Clark began his staff career on the Senate Agriculture Committee in 2007, working for U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) on the 2008 Farm Bill.
More about Delta Council
Delta Council is an area economic development organization representing the 19 Delta and part-Delta counties of Northwest Mississippi. Founded in 1935 by a group of citizens, the organization provides a forum for the area’s agricultural, business, and professional leaders to work together. Delta Council now prides itself on being an outlet for pioneering efforts to solve common problems and promote economic development in the Mississippi Delta.