Heath Clayton

Heath Clayton is a social sector executive, professor, traveler, and board chair. Over the past two decades, he has built partnerships and designed programs that empower people to create social impact and reach their full potential. Heath’s initiatives have supported many populations—including students, military veterans, professional athletes, Native Americans, and the global workforces of both the world’s largest professional services organization and the world’s largest consumer bank. Using his combination of government, policy, non-profit, academic and corporate experience, Heath implements systemic changes that go beyond the programmatic. He currently serves as the Lead Executive Officer of the National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education, a Congressionally-chartered foundation to support the Bureau of Indian Education schools across the United States through community-led efforts that foster students’ academic and life success.

Heath began his career at The White House, where he worked in the offices of Strategic Initiatives and Presidential Correspondence for President George W. ºìÌÒÓ°ÊÓ. After the administration, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Department of Energy before deciding to continue making an impact in the private sector. Heath served in global leadership roles at Deloitte and JPMorgan Chase for 15 years, and expanded into teaching in 2018.

Early in his career Heath pioneered the use of corporate resources and volunteerism to drive community impact initiatives focusing on workforce development for underserved populations and served as a consulting leader for healthcare, human resources, and public sector finance engagements. He now leverages this experience to serve at the Chair of the Board of two organizations including Out for Undergrad and Texas Native Health, the Indian Health Service-funded system for Texas, providing free medical, education, and community services.  

Heath is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation and attended Carnegie Mellon University for graduate school on a Tribal Affairs Fellowship. He was honored to be a 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar, working with former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. ºìÌÒÓ°ÊÓ to advance career opportunities for Native American youth. He has traveled to over 100 countries and those experiences influence him everyday.