120+ Years Experience

Our Journeys

Doug Clark

Jody Linehan

Pete Dillon

Kim Clark

Doug Clark

Doug Clark has built a 40-year career in the footwear industry, working with leading global brands including Nike, Converse, Reebok, Timberland, and Under Armour. He was among the first hires in the Nike Sports Research Labs, developing deep expertise in biomechanics, physiology, morphology, product development, and advanced concepts.

From there, Doug became a prolific inventor, earning 50+ utility patents and helping shape modern performance footwear innovation. The majority of his career was spent at Timberland, where he served as Vice President of Global Product Management and Chief Innovation Officer, playing a pivotal role in more than tripling the company’s sales through strategic brand building and product innovation.

During his tenure, he led the creation and launch of major initiatives including Timberland MPO, Smart Comfort, Precise Fit, Timberland PRO, Mountain Athletics, Mion, and GoLite—many of which became category-defining product platforms.

Doug designed the first MPO, establishing the toe rand as a defining feature of modern outdoor footwear and helping evolve traditional hiking boots for a new generation. He also conceived, pitched, incubated, and launched Timberland PRO, and was part of the acquisition team behind brands such as GoLite, Smartwool, Howies, and IPath.

His career later culminated in launching the first automated footwear factory in the United States capable of producing performance athletic shoes. He secured a contract with Under Armour to produce 4 million pairs, a milestone that led to the factory’s acquisition by Jabil in 2016.

Doug specializes in high-performance footwear development, including guiding the creation of Jaylen Brown’s signature shoe, one of the only NBA footwear launches to achieve a zero-injury outcome among professional wearers. More recently, he has worked with RIP-IT Sports, developing a line of high-performance softball and volleyball footwear that outperforms competitors across key metrics.

Clark brings a rare, end-to-end understanding of what it takes to build, protect, and scale a brand, ensuring it remains relevant, competitive, and true to its original promise over time.

Jody Linehan

Jody Linehan has over 20 years of experience in the outdoor footwear and apparel industry, bringing a well-rounded background in sales, product management, and executive leadership. He began his career in the ski industry as a manufacturer’s representative, which led to a transition into The Timberland Company.

During his 10+ years at Timberland, Jody’s responsibilities grew into executive and management roles across sales, product management, sales training, and international sales, giving him a comprehensive understanding of both product and global market dynamics.

Outside of footwear, Jody founded, operated, and managed a multi-million dollar real estate development company, demonstrating his ability to build and scale businesses from the ground up. Following the successful sale of that company, he returned to footwear, joining GoLite Footwear as VP of Product Management and VP of Sales.

As GoLite evolved into American Made Footwear, Jody played a critical leadership role in establishing domestic manufacturing for major U.S. brands. He later served as President, leading the company through its growth and eventual acquisition by Jabil in 2016, where he was retained to continue running the business through 2018.

Since then, Jody has held executive leadership roles across multiple industries, including Director and VP positions in software enterprise sales and consumer goods.

His experience across footwear, manufacturing, real estate, technology, and consumer products, combined with leadership in both startups and global organizations, provides a unique and strategic perspective on what it takes to successfully build, operate, and scale a brand or business.

Pete Dillon

Pete Dillon has over 40 years of leadership experience and expertise in footwear development and innovation. He began his career at New Balance and has led innovation and product development at global brands including; Nike, Converse, Morrow Snowboards, Timberland, Asics and Wolverine.

His footwear development expertise in R&D, CAD, materials innovation, last making, mold making, pattern making and costing is unsurpassed, making him a driving force behind some of the industry’s most advanced product solutions.

Both Individually and through his concept and development leadership roles, Dillon invented groundbreaking and innovative technologies that have shaped modern footwear. His innovations in materials include Pebax Foam, Kevek Aerogel PU (used in the NASA Space Shuttle to control condensation), and Aerogel Polyester.

In construction and performance innovation, Dillon created the Nike Aqua Sock, Voxel8 Cushioning and Heat Ventilation System, a 3-plate field sports bottom, waterproof canvas-vulcanized construction, and rotary snowboard binding design and construction.

Pete’s expertise has led to prolific collaboration with leading brands and professional athletes, consistently driving performance advancements across basketball, football, running, track & field, water sports, and snow sports.

Kimberly Clark

Kimberly “Kim” Clark has held numerous leadership roles across business and education over a distinguished 40-year career. She serves as Chief Organizer and Project Manager, ensuring clear, efficient, and effective communication with clients while keeping projects aligned and moving forward.

Kim is a Lecturer in the Management and Entrepreneurship Department at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire, where she also serves as Faculty Director of the Business in Practice (BIP) program—an innovative, experiential program taught by industry professionals.

In this role, she develops forward-thinking curriculum that integrates emerging business trends, including the application of AI in modern business environments, helping bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world execution.

An accomplished entrepreneur, Kim has been a partner in multiple ventures within the footwear and hospitality industries, bringing a powerful combination of academic insight and hands-on business experience to the Venture Footwear Labs team.