After high school in Atlanta, she attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where she received the Bachelor of Arts degree, in 1971, with a major in sociology.

She subsequently earned the Master of Arts in Teaching at Harvard University, in 1972, and worked as a teacher in Atlanta for several years.

In 1976, she returned to Nashville to study at the Vanderbilt University Law School, where she was awarded her Juris Doctor in 1979.

[4][5] In 1989, Governor Ned McWherter appointed her circuit judge for the 21st Judicial District of Tennessee, covering Williamson, Hickman, Perry, and Lewis counties.

[3] In June 2006, the judicial retention commission recommended her for a full eight-year term on the Supreme Court.

She previously served as a member of the board of directors of the Conference of State Court Administrators.

The Southeastern Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates named Clark Appellate Judge of the Year.