Clayton McCleskey

Clayton McCleskey currently serves as the Canon for Communications, Witness, and Engagement for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, leading communications and development for a network of over 170 worshipping communities across Eastern Massachusetts. Previously, Clayton was Director of Engagement and External Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership.  A former Fulbright Journalism Scholar, Clayton began his career as a Europe-based staff writer, reporting from over a dozen countries for The Dallas Morning News. In 2013, he joined the U.S. Department of State as a Presidential Management Fellow and served in multiple roles across the Federal government, including in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Spokesperson for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Clayton also serves on the board of Boston University's Marsh Chapel. He holds a MSc in History from the London School of Economics, a BA in International Affairs and German from the George Washington University, and is completing a Master of Divinity at the General Theological Seminary. He and his husband, North Country-native Jonathan Ortloff, are based in Boston, but spend as much time as possible at their family camp on Lake Placid and exploring the Adirondacks with their Golden Retriever and Shetland Sheepdog.