Pell-Mell: House of Stone to White House

The Clay Pell (H. Claiborne Pell IV CdeP 2000) we knew a decade ago never did sit still for very long, impressive achievements racking up with his every activity. And now, due notice has been taken at the highest governmental level, with his recent appointment as a White House Fellow—“one of America’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service [in which those selected] spend a year working as a full-time, paid Fellow to senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally.”

Clay’s post-Thacher accomplishments of the last decade, which won him the appointment, validate the choice: Clay Pell is a JAG and Lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard. He has served as Admiral’s Aide, Appellate Government Counsel, and Adjunct Faculty for the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies. Clay executes regular Coast Guard exchanges with China to improve military diplomacy, instructs courses on human rights and military justice, and has prosecuted crimes for the U.S. Marine Corps. Prior to military service, Clay worked for the CIA, State Department, and the international law firms of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Baker & McKenzie, and Uría Menéndez. He helped lead a national campaign to increase funding for inexpensive, lifesaving medicines for children under five. In Rhode Island, Clay supported Progreso Latino, the International Institute, and the China Working Group in their drive to instruct foreign languages in local schools and provide critical services to communities of new Americans. Clay is fluent in Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic and studied law in China and Argentina. He graduated first in his class from the Coast Guard Direct Commission Officer School, earned his J.D. from Georgetown University, and graduated from Harvard University with high honors in Social Studies and a Citation in Modern Standard Arabic. Clay is a recipient of the CIA’s Exceptional Performance Award.

During his Thacher years, Clay earned many honors, both nationally—he was a National Merit Finalist and an College Board AP Scholar with Distinction—and more locally: he served as an editor of The Notes, a Senior Prefect in Los Padres, and Head of the Spanish Club; he played on the Varsity Tennis Team; and he was named to the Cum Laude Society as a junior. More esoterically, he earned a spot in the Silver Dollar Club by that courageous act of leaning off his loping horse and scooping up the small, shining center of a circle drawn in chalk on the Gymkhana Field.

Thacher’s Head of School Michael K. Mulligan, hearing the news: "Clay always demonstrated a keen public spirit as a student at Thacher. Even as a teen, he was an eloquent advocate of the importance of serving others and contributing to the commonweal. His convictions have only grown stronger following his distinguished study at law school and his service to the United States Coast Guard Judge Advocate General Corps. The White House Fellowship is a rare honor afforded to few. But Clay is a perfect candidate for this work. His intellgence, thoughtfulness, and integrity will characterize his contributions. The experience as a whole will be yet one more critical step as he walks steadfastly towards a life devoted to the public good."

Clay’s placement is with the White House’s National Security Staff.

We feel safer already.