Clark Tenney moved to Prescott with his family in 1983. He attended Granite Mountain Junior High School and Prescott High School. In addition to being an honors student at PHS, Clark competed in cross country and track and field, played the tuba in the Pride of Prescott marching band, and was involved in musical theater.
After a 2-year mission in Japan for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mr. Tenney attended Brigham Young University and married his high school sweetheart Sonya Hinton. Mr. and Mrs. Tenney both graduated from BYU in 1994, with Bachelor of Arts degrees with honors in Secondary Education. Mr. Tenney majored in Japanese Teaching, with a minor in History. He began his teaching career teaching high school US History and Japanese in Utah.

Mr. Tenney’s teaching career soon took him and his young family to Japan to teach Japanese language at a private international school in Tokyo, to children of English-speaking diplomats and business executives. Mr. Tenney also coached the school’s outstanding Cross Country and Track teams. Four of the Tenneys’ five children were born in Japan. For 12 years their family spent the school years in Tokyo and each summer in Prescott. The Tenneys moved back to Prescott full-time in 2007, and Mr. Tenney began to teach and coach at Prescott High School. All of the Tenneys attended PUSD’s terrific schools, and graduated from Prescott High. The Tenneys know that strong community schools are the foundation of a thriving community.
In addition to teaching United States History and Government and Japanese language for 22 years, Mr. Tenney also coached Cross Country and Track and Field for two decades. As an Eagle Scout, Mr. Tenney was also a long-time volunteer adult leader with the Boy Scouts of America, and he has served in many leadership positions in his local church congregation. Mr. Tenney still runs frequently, and has completed 7 marathons.

Mr. Tenney earned his Master’s degree with honors in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. After many years of teaching, in 2014 Mr. Tenney was selected as principal of Abia Judd Elementary School, which he loved. In 2018, Mr. Tenney was asked to return to help lead Prescott High as assistant principal, and in 2021 he moved to the district office as PUSD’s Director of Human Resources and Assistant Superintendent. In 2019 Mr. Tenney was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to visit and study successful schools in Finland, and he has worked with other PUSD leaders to implement best practices here in Prescott. Mr. Tenney’s post-graduate work for his Superintendent certificate was through the University of Arizona.

In 2021 Mr. Tenney was selected to serve on the Prescott City Council. His term ends in November 2023, shortly after he takes over as Superintendent of Prescott Unified School District.
Mr. Tenney loves to spend time with family. When he is not hard at work for PUSD, you can often find him outdoors in the Prescott National Forest, in Granite Dells, or on Prescott’s other incredible trails, birding, mountain biking, hiking, or running. He is proud to be a PUSD graduate, to represent the citizens of his hometown, and to lead our incredible school district into the future.