Seminole State College will host Daniel Clerke, National Team Manager for USA Esports, for a presentation titled “Beyond the Game: Leadership, Competition and Careers in Esports” from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, in the Jeff Johnston Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Clerke will take attendees behind the scenes of competitive esports, exploring the leadership, competition and career opportunities that have emerged as the industry has grown. He has spent 14 years building championship teams at the professional and collegiate levels. His teams have earned more than $11 million in prize winnings, captured world championships in Call of Duty and Smite and won 24 collegiate national championships.

Clerke currently serves as National Team Manager for USA Esports as the organization prepares to represent the United States at the Esports Nations Cup. In that role, he oversees operational aspects of the national team program, including the selection of game coaches and coordination of competitive rosters.

Clerke began his career helping establish Enemy Esports before joining eUnited, where the organization won world championships in Call of Duty and Smite. He later turned his focus to collegiate esports and built the program at Maryville University, which has developed players for professional competition while emphasizing education and long-term career opportunities.

The presentation is made possible by SSC’s Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) federal grant program. SSC received the five-year grant in 2021 to revitalize and expand its Computer Science program, including options in security, programming and esports, while supporting upgrades to information technology infrastructure and specialized instructional spaces.

The NASNTI program is fully federally funded in the amount of $450,000 annually. In addition to its work with Computer Science and esports, the program supports student success initiatives, provides assistive technology and resources for students with disabilities and hosts educational and cultural programming on campus.

For more information about the event, contact SSC NASNTI Program Director Kay Wallace at k.wallace@sscok.edu or 405-382-9646. Local esports teams interested in attending or reserving space for group participation are encouraged to reach out for additional details.