She initially worked as chairman of the Women's Suffrage Committee in Saratoga County, and then became associated with the law firm Rockwood & McKelvey.

In 1918, she moved to New York City and spent a year working with the law firm Rockwood & Lark.

She tried to gain support for the 1915 New York State Suffrage Amendment, becoming business manager of the Saratoga Springs Woman Suffragists and serving as a speaker and organizer on the issue all over the county.

In 1916, she was the Saratoga County Assembly District Leader of the New York State Woman Suffrage Party.

In 1918, she ran for the New York State Assembly as a Democrat, running as "The Conservation Candidate" and campaigning to protect the Saratoga County natural resources.

Among her administrative duties was Executive Secretary of the Skidmore College Alumnae Association for 18 years.

Under Governor Herbert Lehman, she headed the Woman's Advisory Commission of the State Department of Labor.

She and other committee members resigned in 1943 when their recommendation for a bill guaranteeing equal pay for women was ignored.

[3] In 2022, a National Votes for Women Trail marker was unveiled in Saratoga Springs commemorating Starbuck.