While cleaning out her parents’ house, Angela Clarke, vice president of global design procurement, select brands at Marriott International, discovered an old contract drawn up between her and her brother. In exchange for a fee, it read, she would clean his room.
Industrious from a young age, Clarke was raised in Richmond, Virginia, by a financially savvy stay-at-home mother and Army drill sergeant father who later worked at Marine Corps Base Quantico. “Our household was tightly governed by a budget. My mother kept books and books of all our expenditures. She knew the price of every item in the grocery store,” Clarke recalls. Her father, who came from a family of entrepreneurs that owned multiple barbershops, also instilled in her the importance of a strong work ethic.
Additionally, with four older brothers, Clarke acquired a tough skin, realizing the importance of negotiation, independence, holding one’s ground, and speaking up to “share your opinion because you have to,” as she puts it.
The swanky bar at the Residence Inn Dallas, designed by Duncan Miller Design
She was, in essence, grooming herself to become a leader. After studying merchandising at Bauder College in Atlanta, Clarke embarked on an executive training program within department stores and later explored manufacturing sales and retail management while also working as a buyer. She loved the industry, but with mergers the norm, she craved stability. The booming hospitality sector beckoned, particularly Marriott because of its progressive track record regarding culture, diversity, and inclusion.
Clarke’s Marriott dreams came true when she was hired in the procurement department to work as a purchasing representative on full-service brands. Although it was an entry-level management position, a role she was overqualified for in the retail world, Clarke didn’t flinch, applying her “entrepreneurial spirit to how we could grow the business,” she says. “Throughout my life, I’ve learned that you have to have a good perspective. I wanted to be really good at what I did, and I couldn’t learn without understanding. That’s how I work best—by being hands-on.”
Guestrooms at the Moxy Nashville Vanderbilt at Hillsboro Village, crafted by Manuel Zeitlin Architects
Now a 20-year company veteran, Clarke’s mentors have been plentiful, beginning with her first boss, senior purchasing director Mary Lee Roebuck, who showed an astute, yet compassionate knowledge for the business. “She welcomed different perspectives,” remembers Clarke, “and I always appreciated her for that—not just teaching me, but encouraging innovation.”
Currently working across 10 different brands, and upwards of 400 projects a year, Clarke and her nearly 50-person team collaborate to source suppliers, bid and negotiate pricing, and identify ideal delivery models for prototypical décor schemes and custom installations alike.
Every bit as engaged as she was in her early days, Clarke credits her team members, many of whom have been with her for 15 years, with learning and developing alongside her. “We grew up together, and we’ve been agile. They’re not afraid of change.”
A light installation by Anke Neumann, shown in a rendering, at the AC Hotel Washington DC Downtown
Photos by Mark Compton, John Woodcock, and courtesy of Marriott
This article originally appeared in HD’s July 2020 issue.
