Corning Incorporated has appointed Richard T. Clark to the board of directors, effective immediately. Clark, who qualifies as an independent director, will also serve on the audit and compensation committees.
Corning Incorporated has appointed Richard T. Clark, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Merck, to Corning’s board of directors, effective immediately. Merck is a global healthcare leader that develops, discovers, manufactures, and provides prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and consumer care and animal health products.
Clark, who qualifies as an independent director, will also serve on the audit and compensation committees.
He will hold office until Corning’s annual meeting of shareholders on 26 April 2012, at which time he will stand for election to a one-year term. His appointment brings the number of Corning directors to 14. The size of the board has ranged from 13 to 18 directors since 1990.
Clark, 65, brings nearly four decades of experience with global markets and manufacturing to Corning’s board. He became president and CEO of Merck in May 2005 and chairman of the board in April 2007. He transitioned from his CEO role in January of this year, and served as board chairman through November.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., and his MBA from American University in Washington, D.C. He also served as a lieutenant in the US Army before joining Merck.