Kyle Clark is the CEO of BETA Technologies, an aerospace engineer, a pilot, and an entrepreneur. Clark will deliver the Commencement address to the Class of 2026 and receive a Doctor of Technology & Innovation, honoris causa, at Champlain College’s Commencement Ceremony on May 9.
Clark holds an AB in materials sciences and engineering from Harvard University. Under Clark’s leadership, BETA Technologies went from a Vermont-based start-up to a nationally recognized pioneer in electric aviation. Previously, he founded and managed iTherm Technologies and served as the vice president of Engineering at Dynapower Company.
Clark has over 2,000 hours in fixed-wing and rotorcraft aircraft and has completed over 200 test flights. He holds several patents under his name in the areas of electrification, thermal management, and sensing technologies.
Outside of his career in aerodynamics, he was a three-year member of the Crimson men’s hockey team. In 1999, Clark was drafted by the Washington Nationals, and left Harvard in 2001 to play three years of professional hockey in the NHL minor leagues and overseas.
You can watch a livestream of the Commencement ceremony, beginning at 10:00 AM on May 9, at commencement.champlain.edu, which will include Clark’s speech and the conferral of his honorary degree. A video of speech will be added here in the weeks after Commencement.