Kenton J. Clarke (born November 7, 1951) is an American entrepreneur and musician. He graduated from Norwalk State Technical College in 1972 and the University of New Haven in 1979. He is the founder of Computer Consulting Associates International and Omnikal.

Early life

Born in

Bridgeport, CT Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock ...

, Clarke was one of 12 siblings. His father was Haywood D. Clarke Sr., WWII veteran and member of the United States Colored Troops and Clarke's grandfather, George Mason Clarke, owned and operated a rubbish removal company, one of the first to be owned by African-Americans. Clarke's first entrepreneurial venture began at the age of 17 when he formed Collegiate Painters, a house painting company that employed college students.

Business career

Clarke became an early adopter of computer technology through his degree from Norwalk State Technical College, now known as Norwalk Community College. Clarke began his initial career in computer technology beginning at Sikorsky Aircraft (now

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

) in their computer programming group.

Computer Consulting Associates International

Clarke earned his bachelor's degree in Operations Management from the University of New Haven. In 1980, Clarke founded CCAii based in Southport, CT. CCAii which grew to one of New England's largest information technology consulting firms.

Omnikal

Clarke formed Omnikal (formerly DiversityBusiness.com) in 1999. While providing a big data technology platform, Omnikal works to connect businesses for resources in a Business to Business matchmaking process. The Omnikal Business Summit brings small to medium-sized business owners together for connection, training and mentorship. Omnikal provides recognition to top US corporations for their efforts in diversity and inclusion through The Omni50. This award is a listing of the top 50 corporate and government buyers of products and services from an inclusive supply chain throughout the country. Omnikal provides a scholarship with

Norwalk Community College Norwalk Community College (NCC), formerly Norwalk State Technical College and Norwalk Community-Technical College, is a public community college in Norwalk, Connecticut. It is the third-largest of the twelve colleges in the Connecticut State Col ...

addressing the lack of opportunities for African American males entering professional fields in technology. The Norwalk Community College African American STEM Scholarship is awarded annually to ten African American male students in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics ( STEM) field currently enrolled or applying for admission to

Recognition

* 2006 'Top Black Entrepreneur' award from US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine * 2005 Distinguished Alumni award from the University of New Haven * 2001

United States Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stre ...

, Regional Minority Small Business Person of the Year * 2000 Outstanding Business Achievement of America's most successful African-American-Owned Companies,

Black Enterprise ''Black Enterprise'' is a black-owned multimedia company. Since the 1970s, its flagship product ''Black Enterprise'' magazine has covered African-American businesses with a readership of 3.7 million. The company was founded in 1970 by Earl ...

, Magazine June 2000

Music career

Clarke's music career began with his membership as a performer in the Drum and Bugle Corps organization in Fairfield, Connecticut during his early school years. Clarke became a member of the brass section of his local corps and began playing the bugle at age eight. From 1960 until the late 1970s Clarke performed as a featured soloist on bugle for Connecticut and New York based Drum and Bugle Corps including; St. Raphael's Golden Buccaneers,

Connecticut Hurricanes Drum and Bugle Corps The Connecticut Hurricanes, also known by their nickname the ''Hurcs'', is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization based in Seymour, Connecticut existing as an all-age, co-ed, competitive drum and bugle corps (modern), drum and bugle corps. The Hur ...

where Clarke is listed as a Hurricane of Distinction, Connecticut Yankees and the

New York Skyliners The New York Skyliners were a soccer team based in the Bronx borough of New York City. The club were a charter member of the United Soccer Association (USA) in 1967 and played their home games as Yankee Stadium. History In 1966 several grou ...

. Clarke was the 1970 All American National Individual Champion on bugle. In 2001, Clarke founded the Buglers Hall of Fame, and still serves as board chairman. Today, Clarke is an active member of the Alumni Corps in Bridgeport as well as the Stratford Community Concert Band who performs throughout Connecticut at community gatherings, fundraisers for many organizations. Most recently Clarke was inducted in 2015 to the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame and remains a member of the Buglers Hall of Fame alongside such notable award winners as

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Kenton American computer scientists 1951 births Living people