Tena Clark

Southern Miss graduate Tena Clark has written award-winning country hits, contributed to multi-platinum movie soundtracks, written songs for television shows and was the creator of the instantly recognizable national campaign theme, “Have You Had Your Break Today,” for McDonald's. Clark was the executive producer of Natalie Cole’s Still Unforgettable, which won two Grammies.  In homage to her musical and spiritual roots, Clark produced Church: Songs of Soul and Inspiration that included “Way Up There,” which was performed by Patti LaBelle and was nominated for a Grammy award. Clark has written and produced music for other iconic recording artists, including Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Holliday, Gladys Knight, CeCe Winans, Dionne Warwick, Patti Austin, Stephanie Mills, Yolanda Adams and Rev. Shirley Caesar.   She is the CEO and chief creative officer of DMI Music & Media Solutions, a company she founded that is at the forefront of entertainment and music marketing, creating strategies for brands that include Cisco, Delta Air Lines and General Mills.   DMI also programs the president's music on Air Force One.   She is the composer-lyricist for Twist: An American Musical, which debuted in 2010 at the prestigious Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and was staged in 2011 at the famed Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena.  Directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen, the musical transposes the Charles Dickens tale of a street orphan to prohibition-era New Orleans.   She was inducted into the MCJ Hall of Fame in 2011.