Lea Mulan Clark

Ascend California - Assistant Camp Director

Lea Mulan Clark is currently the VP of Speech Events for the Citrus Belt Speech Region, a curriculum representative for the California High School Speech Association, and an assistant coach at Los Osos High School. She began coaching in 2023 as the head coach of Redlands High School's speech and debate team. In her first year, she was made Southern California’s NSDA New Coach of the Year in 2024. She is also currently authoring a research paper on the longevity of speech and debate programs for her master's thesis.

Friends and students of Clark have described her as a “total orientation leader type” and “someone who belongs at summer camp.” As a teacher, much of her teaching pedagogy revolves around team building and gamification, even when teaching concepts in economics. She is an NSDA and CHSSA alumnus, a Donus D. Roberts-level coach, a former Panetta Institute Congressional Intern, a McNair Scholar, a muralist, and a graphic design enthusiast.

When she’s not coaching, Clark enjoys ice skating, running, rock climbing, and making new friends. Any televisions airing hockey programming around Clark are under constant threat of her yelling, “SHOOT THE PUCK!!” at them. In her free time (if there is any), Clark is often trying to get her friends together to go on day trips, go to concerts, or fulfill side quests.