Clepper Named President and Chief Executive Officer of Envision
Envision, the nation’s most trusted service and employment provider for people who are blind or low vision, has named Frank Clepper as president and chief executive officer. He was selected by the Envision board of directors and will begin in February 2012.
Clepper brings with him more than 20 years in military leadership and 10 years in corporate leadership. “Frank was a stand-out candidate with an outstanding career. We are fortunate to have found someone of his national stature who has Envision’s mission and the Wichita community at heart,” said Sam Williams, Chairman of Envision’s Board of Directors. “His passion and his proven record for excellence in leadership make him an ideal fit to lead the organization in the years to come.”
Serving successively as chief executive of two installation commands in the United States Army, Clepper provided executive leadership to large organizations that served a population exceeding 400,000 military and family members in Maryland and New York. Upon his retirement in 2000, he became senior vice president at UBS in New York, where he was responsible for a significant portion of UBS’ back-office operations supporting branch operations, trading and account support, client communications, and Patriot Act compliance.
“Much of my passion for Envision stems from my career in the military. Eye trauma from combat injuries affects more than 50,000 service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan – and has affected my family as well,” said Clepper. “In addition to serving the visually impaired community as a whole, it allows me to direct efforts toward a group of individuals specifically dear to my heart – those who have sacrificed far more than I in service to their country.”
Clepper said as CEO, he hopes to continue to build the organization from its solid foundation. “Providing the best service and broadest outreach possible for the visually impaired will be my focus,” he said. “I also want Envision to be well-known not only in the Wichita community but nationally. The organization provides a greatly needed service; a need that will continue to grow as the population ages, which will require us to address a growing number of visually impaired Americans, including our American military heroes.”
Moving to Kansas in 2005, Clepper joined Value Place LLC as senior vice president of operations and chief operating officer of Value Place Property Management LLC. He was responsible for developing and managing the operational infrastructure necessary to support the fastest growing franchise system in the country.
In 2007, Clepper joined Delta Dental of Kansas as their vice president of operations. He was responsible for all operational functions. In 2009, he was promoted to chief operating officer responsible for all internal functions of the organization. Delta Dental is America's largest dental benefits carrier, covering more Americans than any other dental benefits provider.
“My experience in Wichita with Delta Dental has been one of my most rewarding roles,” said Clepper. “I had a great mentor in Linda Brantner. She emphasized the importance of involvement in the community and encouraged her staff to participate in its numerous charitable organizations; so that we could truly make a difference and an impact. She makes the organization much greater than the sum of its parts.”
Clepper earned his bachelor of science in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his master’s degree in business administration and management from Golden Gate University. Additionally, he graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, completed the Financial Industry Executive course at the Wharton School of Business and received certification by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
He is active in numerous nonprofit and civic organizations, including Communities in Schools of Sedgwick County, United Services Organization (USO), United Way, Angel Flight, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, West Point Alumni Association and the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Clepper assumes the president and CEO position from Interim CEO Kent Wilson, who will resume his role as chief financial officer.