I am an Otter: Navy veteran aims to support all students

By Sophia Huang McKenzie

Look around Clark Bone’s office, and it’s easy to see he’s a proud military veteran. Photos and other memorabilia from his 30-year career in the U.S. Navy adorn the walls and his desk. Perhaps most notably, there’s a flag with five words in white against a black background: “Don’t give up the ship.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve had that flag with me. It’s a replica of a historical flag from the War of 1812,” Bone said. “It’s used across the Navy as a rally call to keep fighting, to remember that as a team, you can get through any challenges.”

It’s a mindset Bone said has served him well in the military and beyond. He joined Cal State Monterey Bay in August 2025 as director of budget and planning. He became senior associate vice president for Budget, Finance and Safety in April 2026. 

“My biggest goal is to ensure that the university has the financial stability to keep supporting current and future students,” Bone said.

Military service is a family tradition for Bone. It started with his grandfather, who flew B-17 bombers with the Army Air Corps during World War II. It continued with his father and brother, as well as his father-in-law and his wife. All served in the Navy. In the next generation, his son is in the Navy ROTC.

Bone’s military service also began in the Navy ROTC at North Carolina State University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government at NC State. He also holds two master’s degrees from the U.S. Naval War College and the Naval Postgraduate School. 

Bone traveled the world in the Navy, including years of tours and deployments on an aircraft carrier and naval cruisers. He mainly worked in intelligence, and eventually became chief of Intelligence, Plans, Targets and Capabilities for U.S. European Command in Germany. 

“I’ve been to every continent while in the Navy, except Antarctica," Bone said. 

He pivoted to higher education and moved to California in 2017 to serve at NPS in Monterey. He retired from the Navy as a captain before coming to CSUMB.

“I am no longer on active duty, but what I carry every day is what I learned in the Navy. How to look at problems, prioritize, make decisions. The issues are different and have different consequences, but the process and how to work with people are the same,” Bone said.

U.S. News & World Report recently ranked CSUMB the No. 7 Best College for Veterans in its 2027 Best Colleges rankings. Bone said the university’s heritage as a former Army base is part of the reason. He also praised CSUMB’s Student Veterans Services and coordinator Giselle Young.

“They do a great job engaging and reaching out to our veteran students, helping them and making sure they use the benefits they’ve earned,” Bone said.

CSUMB’s moderate size and its ability to care for veterans and all students make it an ideal place for him to work. He believes that a college education, like military service, is life-changing. 

“Many people enlist in the military out of high school so they can give themselves opportunities in life. Here it’s very similar, and that spoke to me,” Bone said. “The university’s focus on first-generation students, how we go out of the way to make education affordable and provide opportunity to everyone, that’s the reason why I came here. I wanted to be part of that.”

Cal State Monterey Bay will host a Veteran’s Day celebration on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 11:30 a.m. during Otter Thursday at the Otter Student Union. The Wall of Heroes Display is also up in the OSU lobby through Nov. 13.