Clarke received a
B.A. in
Mathematics from the
University of Rochester in 1969. She received a
Ph.D in
Computer Science from the
University of Colorado in 1976. She then joined the Department of Computer Science at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst as an assistant professor in 1976. While there she was promoted to associate professor in 1981 and to professor in 1986. In 2011, she became the chair of the School of Computer Science. In 2015 she became an
emeritus professor. She was a board member for
SIGSOFT from 1985 to 2001, including the chair from 1993 to 1997. She was a board member of
CRA from 1999 to 2009. She is also noted for her leadership in broadening participation in computing. She has been a member of the
CRA-W Board since 2001 and was the co-chair of
CRA-W from 2005 to 2008. ==Awards==