Thriving in Both the Complex and the Simple: Meet Clark Rhoads, Senior Project Controls Specialist

Clark Rhoads’s career has taken him to corners of the science industry most people can only dream of. Clark began his journey in 1980 as a cost/schedule engineer at a petrochemical company, where he learned about Earned Value Management (EVM), or as the Saudi Arabian arm of the company called it, Unified Reporting System. That first exposure to EVM set Clark on a lifelong career path of working in some of the most innovative and exciting spaces in science. 

The next steps in Clark’s career took him to project controls roles in the aerospace industry, nuclear waste cleanup, and Sandia National Laboratories. One such position involved teaching project controls, including Open Plan and Cobra, at an aerospace company. In 2012 Clark joined Manta Ray Consulting as one of its initial team members and brought his expertise to Argonne National Laboratory. Today Clark’s role as a senior project controls specialist has him at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), where he works directly with the project management team on the Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA). 

In this role, Clark puts his extensive expertise to use every day. He primarily works in and manages EVM tools, including P6, Cobra and The Hammer Solutions. He also coordinates with project directors, managers, CAMs, accounting teams and others, making EVM “work” on GRETA. 

Clark notes that although he is the sole project controls specialist working on GRETA, he doesn’t work in a vacuum. “I get the best support from both the LBNL and MRC teams,” he says. 

Clark’s work allows him to meet and collaborate with a wide variety of projects and people. He says this is a highlight for him and that his projects have given him once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Some of his favorite memories include hearing a Nobel Prize winner give a talk at a national laboratory and standing beneath an aircraft carrier while working at a naval shipyard. Clark says he is most proud of getting to support leading-edge science projects. 

Outside of work, Clark loves the simple things. In addition to walks around the lake with his wife, he enjoys riding his bike to the beach and through his local wilderness park. His three grandkids also help him enjoy life’s simple pleasures. 

“I love seeing them smile,” he says.