Ray Clere – University of Kentucky

Ray Clere is the director of the Stuckert Career Center at the University of Kentucky, where he oversees a staff team and operations that serve all UK students and new alumni. Ray has worked in university career services for more than 15 years and has served as office director in 3 different colleges/universities, including 5 years overseeing the career center for the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, the top-ranked school among schools of public affairs and administration by US News and World Report.

Ray has concentrated knowledge and expertise in university administration and career services operations, including staff development and supervision, employer relations, experiential education, career counseling, program and event management, and leadership development. Ray has specialized knowledge in career pathways in public service, environmental policy and science, and the government and nonprofit sectors. Ray earned a master’s degree in Counseling at Indiana University and has been a part-time graduate student in the UK College of Education, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education with an emphasis in Student Affairs.

Ray is one of five brothers, so he is grateful to have a wonderful family he enjoys spending time with and being an uncle to several nephews and nieces. Ray is devoted to his beloved dog, Huck, and his precocious cat, Finn, and enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling.

Shortly after graduating from college, Ray decided to accept a seasonal employment position at Yellowstone National Park. He was stationed in Mammoth Hot Springs, near Gardiner, Montana. When he wasn’t working as a groundskeeper and cleaning tourist cabins, Ray spent time with friends observing bison, elk, wolves, and grizzly bears (usually from a safe distance) and explored the trails and backcountry of one of the most beautiful places in the world. Hikes in Lamar Valley in the park’s ‘Roosevelt Country’ were a high point of Ray’s summer.