Alumni spotlight: April Clarke
April Clarke (M.B.A. ’13) has been elected to the WSU School of Business Administration Alumni Association Board for 2014-15. Clarke is the co-founder and co-owner of Xpress Non-Emergency Medical Transportation, Inc., a service organization dedicated to providing transportation to those with mobility challenges. Its specialty areas include services for passengers with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), dialysis patients and others with varying medical needs. In August, Clarke secured 501(c)(3) organization status for Xpress Community Counsel, a nonprofit aimed at meeting the needs of metro Detroit residents with mobility challenges.
Over the past 10 years, Clarke has been influential in developing strategies for the company’s long-term growth and succeeding at seeing double-digit revenue increases for the company each year. She currently focuses her efforts on marketing and client relations.
In addition to excelling in the transportation industry, Clarke has held roles in marketing and consumer research, managing projects and programs for various companies, including SME, Bank of America, Ford Motor Company, AutoTrader.com and Carhartt. At Carhartt, she served as the lead consumer insights and strategy manager for its women’s division before her appointment as manager of innovation and insights. She left Carhartt to focus on Xpress Non-Emergency Medical Transportation full time.
In each role, Clarke has provided direction in the development of marketing and brand strategies and product and service improvement. Her work has served the medical, banking, apparel, automotive industries and nonprofit sector. She offers brand and marketing strategy assistance, as well as long-term strategic planning through Encompass Clarity, Inc.
In addition to the SBA Alumni Board, Clarke is an active member of the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA), the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She supports NAWBO by assisting with the development of strategy for membership engagement, recruitment and retention. She developed a theme and email marketing campaign for NAWMBA’s 2014 national conference. She serves NBMBAA through mentoring high school students in Detroit Public Schools on various business topics useful for success at the collegiate level.
