FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

Jim Clark is a strategic convenor, futurist, and systems thinker dedicated to tackling civilization’s greatest challenges through technology, governance, and large-scale collaboration.

Clark has a long history of founding and leading transformative initiatives at the intersection of technology, public policy, and social impact. He is best known as the Founder/CEO (1997-2021) of the World Technology Network (WTN), a global association of 1,500+ peer-elected top innovators across the entire ecosystem of science and technology. The WTN’s World Technology Awards, presented annually with partners such as Fortune, TIME, CNN, The Economist, Science, Nature, NASDAQ, and Microsoft, among many others, honored the world’s leading innovators "creating the 21st Century." The WTN convened its annual World Technology Summits for almost two decades, as well as events such as the World Summit on Technological Unemployment (2015), positioning Clark as a key facilitator of global discourse on the future in our technology-driven era.

Through the WTN, Clark also served as co-convener and co-lead of the International Congress for the Governance of Artificial Intelligence (ICGAI, 2018-2021), bringing together the world’s relevant experts to address AI governance at the highest levels.

In 2024, Clark founded the Future of Employment and Income Institute, an initiative of the Bridge Era Institute. As Executive Chairman, working with the Managing Director, he leads efforts to explore and advance strategies for ensuring society adapts to the accelerating and transformative impact of AI and automation.

Clark’s entrepreneurial career began in college in 1986, when he founded ACCESS: Networking in the Public Interest, the first national non-profit jobs clearinghouse, based at the Harvard Kennedy School, with satellite offices at UC/Berkeley, Duke University, and the University of Chicago. ACCESS, one of the world’s earliest online ventures, reached over 150,000 job seekers annually and partnered with leading philanthropic organizations and the Wall Street Journal.

He later served as Director for the Non-Profit Sector & National Service for the Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign/Transition (1992/3) and co-convener of the Presidential Transition Roundtable Series, advising on high-tech entrepreneurship, social policy, and economic development. He has also been involved in starting or assisting various pro-democracy efforts since that time.

In 1993, he founded one of the first Internet companies focused on social impact, partnering with America Online (AOL) to build some of the earliest “make a difference” services online. He was named one of the “New Media Elite” by New York Magazine in 1995.

Clark advises many initiatives seeking to avoid a dystopian future. And, recently he has been helping relevant organizations build highly effective, goal-focused coalitions quickly through his Accelerated Impact Process.

At the Bridge Era Institute, Clark leverages his expertise in convening global stakeholders, shaping governance frameworks, and aligning technological innovation with societal well-being.

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Eric Williams joined The Future of Employment and Income Institute in early 2025 to oversee day-to-day operations, implement strategic initiatives, and drive impact at scale. With two decades of experience in policy leadership, organizational growth, and strategic advocacy, Eric has been involved in efforts to align work, workplace, and family policy with the evolving economic landscape.

Throughout his career, Eric has advised leaders, built high-performing teams, and scaled initiatives that bridge policy and practice. As a consultant and operational strategist, he has trained leaders to streamline systems, optimize workflows, and position organizations for sustainable growth and team engagement. His expertise spans organizational strategy, stakeholder coordination, and workforce development.

In previous roles, Eric has guided employers through workplace policy adaptation and implementation that provides greater flexibility to employees during critical life events, along with strengthening employers' retention efforts. He also directed campaigns advancing groundbreaking workplace and economic policies, including New York’s Paid Family Leave initiative. His work has included coalition-building across hundreds of partners, policy development, and creating data-driven advocacy strategies.

He holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, with a focus on organizational leadership, and a dual BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.