Cliff Kling

Cliff Kling, J.D. is Mission & Data’s Senior Executive Compensation and Leadership Strategist. Cliff brings a unique background and skill set to his work in executive compensation having practiced public accounting with KPMG as a CPA, practiced law with a large law firm, served 13 years as Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel of an independent school, and served 11 years as President of two independent schools, including the fifth largest NAIS school, Gulliver Prep in Miami, FL with an enrollment of 2,230 students. Cliff has also served on numerous boards, including the search and compensation committees of those boards. Given his broad experience, he understands executive compensation from many perspectives: legal, accounting and tax, school budget constraints, the board’s fiduciary and stewardship responsibilities, and from knowing well the demands and challenges of sitting in the head’s seat. Cliff graduated from Georgetown University where he majored in accounting, and he earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law.