Clark State College has appointed Emma Clark as the Director of Conference Services of the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center.

Clark will oversee and manage the commercial activities of the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center (HBC) and all other rental spaces on the Springfield and downtown Springfield campuses. This includes serving as the initial point of contact and working with the client through the planning, execution, and follow-up phases of the contract.

“I am looking forward to serving Clark State as the Director of Conference Services to support the College’s initiatives and continuously build relationships within the community,” said Clark. “I bring over eight years of event management experience from various higher education institutions across the county – all the way to Utah and back to Ohio.”

Clark State's Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center, located at 275 South Limestone Street, is a state-of-the-art conference facility directly adjacent to the Clark State Performing Arts Center (PAC). The facility opened in 2011 and houses 27,000 square feet on two floors. The HBC was designed with the highest possible degree of functional flexibility to meet a wide variety of needs. The 18-foot-tall Grand Hall in the west wing accommodates up to 500 people for a meeting, dinner or performance, and up to 1,000 in a theatre seating format - a capacity not available anywhere else in the downtown area.

Clark said for her, this was a move back home as she was born and raised in Springfield.

“I am looking forward to being so much closer to family now. It is a blessing to return to Springfield in this capacity and I look forward to supporting the College’s business operations and space reservation needs,” she said.

Adele Adkins, executive director of the Clark State Performing Arts Center said she was excited when presented with three strong candidates for the HBC director position, but Clark was a stand-out. “In just three short weeks, Emma has hit the ground running and is so impressive,” said Adkins. “She has fit right into the team here at the PAC and HBC and has some fantastic suggestions for moving forward. I am confident the community will love working with her.”