2017 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 94
BY SENATOR CARTER
A RESOLUTION
To commend Harold Clay Jr. on his many accomplishments.
WHEREAS, Harold Clay Jr. graduated from Warren Easton High in 1992; and
WHEREAS, Harold Clay Jr. graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's degree from Dillard
University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and later earned his master's degree from Tulane
University; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Clay worked for Associated Catholic Charities in two different
capacities, serving as the disciplinarian at Hope Haven Center for the on-site Jefferson Parish
School and later becoming the clinical manager of two sub-acute units; and
WHEREAS, for seven years, Mr. Clay worked in the field of criminal justice as a
homicide investigator for the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office; and
WHEREAS, after Hurricane Katrina, he worked as a major case investigator for the
Fulton County District Attorney's Office in Atlanta, Georgia; and
WHEREAS, as an investigator, Mr. Clay appeared on court television and local news
stations in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Atlanta; and
WHEREAS, upon returning to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, he began
working at Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center as a forensic social worker; and
WHEREAS, Harold Clay Jr. worked as an adjunct instructor for Southern University
at New Orleans, Delgado Community College and Darryl S. Brister Bible College and
Theological Seminary; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Clay worked as a clinician for Family Services of Greater New
Orleans counseling children and families as well as facilitating domestic violence groups;
and
WHEREAS, in the fall of 2001, Mr. Clay wrote an article featured in the Louisiana
Counseling Association Journal explaining the use of his culture-centered approach working
with at-risk African-American males; and
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WHEREAS, in March 2005, Mr. Clay coauthored an article published in the
International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, "African Americans' Perceptions
of Mental Health Professions"; and
WHEREAS, realizing his passion for wanting to help at-risk youth with educational
challenges, Mr. Clay helped reopen Andrew H. Wilson Charter School in 2007, where he
served as an administrator for three years; and
WHEREAS, Harold Clay Jr. is now in his seventh year at Edna Karr High School,
having served as the assistant principal and school operations manager for the first four
years; and
WHEREAS, Harold Clay Jr. was named Head of School of Edna Karr High School
during the 2014-2015 school year making him the first African-American principal in the
school's fifty-year history; and
WHEREAS, because of his unconventional approaches to educational leadership, he
has garnered the attention of Bill Bradley, Ashton Kutcher, and Ellen DeGeneres, just to
name a few; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Clay has been featured in a number of articles and magazines such
as The National Review, StudentsFirst, and Epitome Magazine; and
WHEREAS, he has also received numerous awards and accolades both locally and
nationally for his leadership at Edna Karr High School; and
WHEREAS, Harold Clay Jr.'s nontraditional work with youth has been illustrated
in three documentaries, "School Choice in New Orleans", "Disconnected Youth", and "Close
Ties: Tying on a New Tradition", which provides an intimate look at a rites of passage
ceremony that connects teenage boys with positive male roles models; and
WHEREAS, Harold Clay Jr. is a member of the School Leadership Center of Greater
New Orleans, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the Louisiana
Association of Principals, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, and the Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development; and
WHEREAS, Harold Clay Jr. is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Harold Clay Jr. on his many accomplishments.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Harold Clay Jr.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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