TJ Clarke II

Thomas J. Clarke II, affectionately known as “TJ” was elected to the Court of Common Council on November 3, 2015 after receiving the highest amount of votes. On January 4, 2016, TJ was unanimously elected as Council President making him the youngest Council President elected in the City of Hartford at the age of 34. Councilman Clarke is currently the co-chair of the Quality of Life and Public Safety committee and Co Chai of the Operations, Management and Budget committee.

Clarke is married to Ayesha R. Clarke and is the father of two young sons, Thomas III and Ayden Alexander. TJ is the co-founder and Chairman of the Emerging Leaders Network, an organization that was instrumental in resurrecting Connecticut’s African American Parade in the summer of 2015.

Previously, TJ had the pleasure of serving as an Assistant to the Mayor and Chief of Staff and Director of TJ has a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Salem International University and a Bachelor's in Technical Management with a concentration in Project Management from DeVry University. TJ is also a member of The Citadel of Love and serves as an elder in the church. Council President Clarke is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., the Greater Hartford Chapter of the National Black MBA and the Greater Hartford NAACP Branch. He also currently serves on the board of Upper Albany Main Street and Blue Hills Civic Association. Constituent Services for the Office of Mayor Pedro E. Segarra. In addition to overseeing the Constituent Services Office, TJ worked as a Community Liaison to various neighborhoods within the city. TJ also worked as the Director of Workforce Development and Training for Urban League of Greater Hartford. Currently, Thomas works as the Special Initiatives Coordinator for United States Senator Chris Murphy. His chief responsibility is to oversee the Senator’s Urban Affairs agenda, with a particular focus on President Obama’s Promise Zone and My Brother’s Keeper Initiatives.