Career
Clarke received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Rochester in 1969. She received a Doctor of Philosophy 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. She was a board member for SIGSOFT from 1985 to 2001, including the chair from 1993 to 1997.
She is also noted for her leadership in broadening participation in computing.
