Clay Pearson

Clay J. Pearson joins SGR as Senior Vice President after serving more than 30 years in local government. A seasoned city manager, Clay's career includes impactful roles in Fort Worth and Pearland, Texas; Novi, Michigan; and Elgin, Illinois, contributing to his expertise in community and economic development, budget and finance, public safety, and technology. In Pearland, Clay and his team participated in multiple rounds of the CivStart and City partnership cycle to identify problems and start-up partnerships.



His tenure in diverse states and situations, working with cities ranging from 60,000 to one million, has equipped him with experience, perspective and a unique ability to collaborate with elected officials and assist community leaders in transforming their visions into actionable plans.



Clay holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN) and a Master of Public Administration from The University of Kansas. Clay served as Chair of the International City-County Management Association (ICMA) International Committee for multiple years and held various other leadership positions with ICMA, state associations, and the Alliance for Innovation (AFI). His global perspective and extensive network enhance his contributions to SGR and its clients.



Attending the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service early in his career provided a foundation for creating High Performance Organizations. He has used that expertise to support teams, leadership at all levels, and understanding strategy to build up organizations across the country to be nimble and effective.



As part of the Civic Marketplace team, Clay is VP of Innovation, maximizing ties to the tech and local government sector to build opportunities for each to connect on the Civic Marketplace platform. Clay is passionate about traveling and engaging with like-minded public servants. He lives near Houston with his wife Jennifer.