Tim Clark

Lecturer

Contact Information

Tim Clark lectures in Product Design, Product Development, and Product Go-to-market at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He brings over 30 years of industry experience, having led product design and innovation at Nike for 17 years. In addition to his Fortune 100 work, Mr. Clark has founded or was an early employee in three startups.

Tim’s expertise spans product design, user-centered design, and brand building. He led the creation of iconic products like NCAA/NFL football gloves, the Nike Basketball ELITE Sock, and the Nike Battlegrounds basketball collection. He holds five Nike US design and innovation patents, reflecting his passion for integrating methodologies such as Design Thinking, Agile Development, and Customer Development into the learning process.

In addition to his industry experience, Tim has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Oregon. His teaching experience includes developing and leading design capstone courses, graduate-level modules, and public-facing design thinking workshops. He has also supervised multiple student internships to completion for academic credit.

Tim received his B.S. in Applied Art & Design from Cal Poly, and he continues to mentor, advise, and teach at the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Cal Poly CIE SBDC, providing customized workshops and guidance to cohorts and clients. SLO County’s hills and beaches hold a strong pull on him today, as he enjoys mountain biking and surfing in the area.