Clifton’s passion to serve children and families who are less fortunate stems from his background growing up among such families in Mississippi. Clifton has come full circle, from being one of the first children in Head Start when it began as a summer program in Mississippi in 1965, to managing and consulting with Head Start programs from Mississippi to New Mexico and up to Kansas!

Prior to his role at Child Start, Clifton worked as a financial analyst for the City of Austin, as development director and president of a leadership development focused non-profit, as a Head Start director, and as a grantee specialist with Region VI of the Office of Head Start. Clifton earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Clifton is known for his process consultation approach, his ability to build trust with teammates and partners, and his commitment to achieve the best outcomes for children and families. Clifton continues to believe that we can change lives, communities, and the world through our work with children and families.