Cinnamon Clark is a senior DEIB strategist and Navy veteran with more than two decades of experience leading culture transformation in complex, high‑stakes environments. From 1997 to 2021, she held multiple Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion roles across the United States Navy and later the Department of Defense, where she shaped policy, training, and organizational systems to advance equitable access and operational readiness.

At the United States Naval Special Warfare, Cinnamon played a pivotal role in gender‑integration efforts. Her administrative and policy leadership helped clear the path for the first enlisted woman to complete the Special Warfare Combatant‑Craft Crewmen pipeline. She also led the shift toward gender‑neutral messaging across Navy Special Operations Forces, modernizing how elite units communicate identity, mission, and inclusion.

After her military service, Cinnamon led a global team at McLean & Company, supporting more than 200 organizations in developing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging diagnostics, human‑capital strategies, change‑management frameworks, and executive workshops. Her work emphasized sustainable Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging roadmaps, measurable outcomes, and systems‑level transformation across industries.

Cinnamon currently serves as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer in the state of California, where she leads enterprise‑wide efforts to embed equitable and inclusive practices across the department and serve the people of California. Her office focuses on equitable policy, strategy, inclusive onboarding, equitable hiring, employee‑centered program design, and building conditions where all employees have access to thrive. She champions the belief that inclusion is a verb and an intentional daily practice.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from Chapman University and a master’s degree in human behavior and organizational development from National University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Human Resource Management, with a dissertation examining intergenerational communication in the modern workplace.

Based in San Diego, Cinnamon serves as Chair and Commissioner of the San Diego Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission and sits on the Advisory Board of the Borderview YMCA. She partners with multiple organizations across California to advance equity, belonging, and community impact.