Remembering Connie Clery

It is with profound sadness that Clery Center shares the passing of our co-founder, Constance Benjamin Clery. Connie passed away peacefully on June 23, 2026 at the age of 95.

An extraordinary advocate, leader, and force for change, Connie transformed personal tragedy into a movement that forever changed how colleges and universities approach campus safety. Through her courage, determination, and unwavering belief that students and families deserved access to information about campus crime and safety, she helped create lasting reforms that have protected countless lives and empowered generations of students and families.

Connie was a loving wife to Howard Clery, Jr., for 51 years until his passing in 2008, and a devoted mother to Howard III, Benjamin, and Jeanne. While her life's work became known nationwide, it began with a family and a daughter whose memory remained at the center of everything she did.

In 1986, Connie and Howard experienced every parent's worst nightmare when their daughter, Jeanne Clery, was raped and murdered in her residence hall room during her first year at Lehigh University. In the aftermath of Jeanne's death, they discovered that violent crime on college campuses was far more prevalent than many families realized and that information about campus safety was often difficult to access.

Connie and Howard turned their grief into action. Together they founded Security On Campus, Inc., now known as Clery Center, and began advocating for greater transparency, accountability, and support for victims of crime. Their efforts led to the passage of numerous state laws and ultimately to the federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, now known as the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, or simply the Clery Act.

Over the decades that followed, Connie and Howard helped advance more than 30 state and federal laws designed to improve campus safety, strengthen victims' rights, and increase institutional accountability. Their work earned national recognition, including a 1990 White House Rose Garden ceremony (see photo, left) where President George H. W. Bush honored them for their “outstanding contributions in assisting victims of crime” and praised “their campaign to build an America where every victim of every crime is treated with the dignity and the compassion they deserve.”

Yet those who knew Connie understood that legislative victories were never her ultimate goal. Her focus was always on people.

Connie often spoke about Jeanne not as a symbol or a law's namesake, but as a daughter whose life mattered. As she reflected years later, "She’s not just a name, you know. I wish people would realize that."

That perspective shaped everything Connie did. She believed that meaningful change required compassion, education, and partnership. While she was a tireless advocate, she was equally committed to bringing people together to create solutions. She often reminded others that lasting progress could not be driven by anger alone, but by a vision of a safer future for students and families.

One of the most powerful examples of that spirit came years after Jeanne's death, when Connie returned to Lehigh University to support a campus safety conference. She described the experience as a celebration of progress and hope, emphasizing the importance of engaging students as partners in creating safer campuses. "We can and must continue to change the culture," she urged attendees. "Students can feel empowered by helping one another to take ownership of their campus's safety."

Connie served as Executive Director of Clery Center for 16 years before transitioning to the Board of Directors in 2003. She continued to provide leadership as Chairwoman and later as Chairwoman Emerita, offering wisdom, encouragement, and guidance to generations of staff, board members, advocates, and campus professionals. Even after stepping back from day-to-day leadership, she remained deeply engaged in the work, following developments in campus safety, victims' rights, and higher education with remarkable passion and clarity.

Throughout nearly four decades of advocacy, Connie never lost sight of why the work mattered. She believed that students deserved to feel safe, families deserved transparency, and institutions had a responsibility to foster environments where prevention, accountability, and care were prioritized.

"Connie showed the world what it means to transform heartbreak into purpose," said Bob Alig, Executive Director of Clery Center. "Her courage changed the trajectory of campus safety in America, but what I will remember most is her humanity. She never stopped caring about students, families, and the people behind every policy and every statistic. We are honored to carry forward the work she and Howard began, and we remain committed to advancing the vision that guided her life's work."

Today, Connie's legacy can be seen in every campus professional working to support students, every institution striving for greater transparency, every family empowered to ask questions about safety, and every student whose experience is safer because of the changes she helped create.

While we mourn the loss of an extraordinary woman, we also celebrate a life defined by resilience, compassion, service, and impact. Connie's work changed higher education forever, but perhaps her greatest legacy is the countless lives that have been protected because she refused to accept that tragedy should be met with silence.

“She reminded all of us that advocacy is an act of love, and that one family’s tragedy could become a national movement for transparency, accountability, and care,” said Andy Cagnetta, Clery Center Board Chair. “For those of us fortunate enough to know Connie personally, we will remember not only her determination and strength, but also her kindness, grace, and unwavering commitment to helping others. She carried Jeanne’s memory with dignity and purpose, inspiring generations of advocates, educators, and families along the way.”

Our hearts are with Connie's family and loved ones during this difficult time. We are grateful for the privilege of having known her.

In honoring Connie's memory, we recommit ourselves to the mission she dedicated her life to advancing: creating safer campuses for all.

Connie often expressed amazement at how far the movement had come and hope for how much more could be accomplished. That hope remains with us today.