Evelyn J. Clarke

Evelyn J. Clarke began her journey in community organizing when she watched her father, the late Charles R. McGrady, work to integrate and foster biracial friendships during the civil rights era in Corning. At the age of 16, she began to help him organize events in their neighborhood.

Ms. Clarke moved to Ulster County to attend SUNY New Paltz and began serving her community, helping those less fortunate. She worked at the NYS Division for Youth in Highland, and later commuted to Poughkeepsie to work at the Grace Smith House for Battered Women as an overnight Admissions Counselor.

Ms. Clarke is an integral part of the Kingston and Esopus communities and has volunteered and served the public in countless roles over the years. Ms. Clarke is a former volunteer counselor at the Esther House, a safe and sober residence for women recovering from substance abuse, an Associate Minister and Director of Christian Education, working alongside her husband, Reverend G. Modele Clarke at the New Progressive Baptist Church, and was President of the Ulster County Multi-Services Center, which provides an after-school program for youth and sponsors the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Event and luncheon held in Kingston.

In 2012, Ms. Clarke was appointed Ulster County Human Rights Commissioner and Director of the Ulster County Youth Bureau. Ms. Clarke held that post until she retired in 2018. During her tenure, she focused on restorative justice and keeping kids in school, and to this end, worked closely with the Kingston City School District’s Board of Education to support redrafting the School District’s disciplinary codes. She has continued this work by serving as a member of the Restorative Justice Community Empowerment Task Force and on the Family of Woodstock Board of Directors.

Ms. Clarke is well-known in the Ulster County community for her kindness, charisma, humor, and for always being there to help a friend or child in need.