NASCA Press Release: Brittany Clark Announced as 20 Under 40 Award Recipient

For Immediate Release
May 22, 2025

Contact: Elizabeth Whitehouse, Executive Director, executivedirector@nasca.org

NASCA Press Release: Brittany Clark Announced as 20 Under 40 Award Recipient

Springfield, IL — The National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) proudly announces Brittany Clark, Statewide Recruitment Manager at the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS), as a NASCA 2025 20 Under 40 Award winner. This prestigious award recognizes 20 outstanding individuals from across the country for their exceptional contributions to state government.

As Illinois' first Statewide Recruitment Manager, Clark oversees five Career Counseling Centers and spearheads outreach programs that connect job seekers to state government positions. With over 16 years of experience in business development, talent acquisition, and retention across healthcare, banking, and higher education, Clark has transformed Illinois’ approach to public sector hiring. Her revitalization of candidate outreach has helped thousands of Illinoisans explore and secure careers in state service, advancing a responsive, inclusive, and competitive workforce.

Sarah Kerley, Chief Administrator at CMS, reflected on Clark’s innovation and impact on improving the state of Illinois’ recruitment efforts.

“Brittany is Illinois’ first Statewide Recruitment Manager and has set the bar for excellence in this newly created position! She has brought boundless energy and enthusiasm into her role in helping candidates for State employment to find their dream career.”

Kerley continued, “Her passion, energy, enthusiasm, and experience have not only resulted in tremendous numbers of connections between jobseekers and vacancies, but also have helped to transition staff that were previously exclusively focused on administering testing to job applicants into a professional and effective recruitment team.”

Founded in 1976, NASCA is the nation’s only nonpartisan, nonprofit organization serving chief administrative officers or CAOs. NASCA provides a forum for state chief administrative officers to exchange information and learn new ideas from each other and private sector partners. NASCA engages states in transforming government operations through shared knowledge, operational excellence, and thought leadership.

For more information on NASCA, please visit NASCA.org.