Gone Home: Kent Clayburn
With heavy heart, we share the sad news that Kent Clayburn, World Scout Foundation Chairman Elect, Board Member and Investment Committee Chair, long-standing BP Fellow and quite simply a phenomenal and beloved Scout, has gone home.
A native Californian, Kent spent most of his life living in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating college, he began working in 1978 in the finance business in institutional sales and over the ensuing years, he went on to earn an MBA and his career led him through capital markets, management and private wealth management. He founded Clayburn Wealth Management and his partner was his late son, Evan Clayburn, who was also an Eagle Scout.
Kent’s association with the World Scout Foundation (WSF) was cemented in 2003 when he became a member of the World Baden-Powell Fellowship. He later joined the WSF Board in 2015 and took a leading role in the Board’s Investment Committee, chairing the Committee (2016, 2018–2021). Kent and his wife Constance, who both came from Scouting families, became Regal Circle Members in 2019. Most recently, Kent helped to drive a complete reform of the Foundation’s governance structures, having previously led a transformation of the foundation’s investments, which proved vital for the Foundation in the pandemic economy.
Kent spent his life following the Scout path, and volunteering in the community. In the Boy Scouts of America, Kent served on the National Executive Board as well as many other committees over the years. As Chair of the International Committee and International Commissioner, he drove the Boy Scouts of America’s international work following a restructuring of the national headquarters, inspiring hundreds of volunteers to provide an incredible service for the young women and men in the organisation.
At a regional level, he served as Vice Chairman of the InterAmerican Regional Committee and on the InterAmerican Scout Foundation. Kent was also involved in numerous National and World Jamborees, including as Deputy Camp Chief in Sweden in 2011 and as Director of Operations for the 24th World Scout Jamboree in 2019, held in North America.
When friends in Scouting heard of Kent’s advancing illness over the last week, messages of goodwill streamed in from all over the world, bringing warmth and love to the Clayburn home. He spent his last days surrounded by family — Constance and their daughter Alexia, who cared for him, and new grandchild Hazel Evan, then passed peacefully on Monday evening at home. As Constance observed, Kent was never one to hang around in one place, it was his time to go and join their son Evan who passed just two years ago.
Our collective memories of Kent, his passion and dedication to Scouting, and his incredible spirit will live on. The Foundation Board, staff and Worldwide BP Fellowship extend sincerest condolences, love and support to Constance, Lexi, Hazel Evan, his brother Neal, the rest of his family, and all those in the international and BSA Scouting communities who keenly feel his loss.
