BYU-Idaho president on Beneficial board

Kim B. Clark, president of Brigham Young University-Idaho, has joined the board of directors of Beneficial Financial Group, the company announced Wednesday.

Clark, 57, has served as president of BYU-Idaho since August 2005. Before that, he was dean of faculty at Harvard Business School.

"We are delighted to have President Clark as a member of our board," Beneficial Financial President and Chief Executive Kent H. Cannon said in a prepared statement. "His rich background in information technology, productivity and economics will add even greater depth and breadth to our distinguished board.

"His focus at Harvard and now at BYU-Idaho on core values, a global perspective and outstanding performance will serve Beneficial well as we continue to expand in our second century."

Clark joined the faculty at Harvard University in 1978 and served as dean of its business school from 1995 until 2005. He is also a Harvard alumnus, earning his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in economics.

Founded in Salt Lake City in 1905, Beneficial Financial Group specializes in life insurance, annuities and other products through its corporate alliances, including securities and financial planning.

Beneficial Financial Group and the Deseret Morning News are owned by Deseret Management Corp., a holding company for businesses affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.