2026 40 Under 40: Riana Clark

Raised by engineers, Riana Clark, 35, was bound for a STEM career. As vice president of education at the Discovery Center of Springfield Inc., Clark says she is “guided by the belief that high-quality STEM learning should be available to all students, regardless of background or circumstance.”

Under Clark’s leadership, the Discovery Center’s educational offerings have grown across early learning, summer camps and STEM school programming. She has increased summer camp participation by 700% and its program-generated revenue from $60,000 prepandemic to $225,000. She has also secured $300,000 in grant funding — including a $250,000 partnership with NASA.

In addition to financial leadership, Clark has built a people-first culture that shifts from reliance on individual contributors to a systems-based model that scales programs while prioritizing access, affordability and inclusion.