Beth Clark attributes her path to president and CEO of Girls, Inc. of Jacksonville to her own strong mother, who divorced her father in the 1950s, when divorce wasn’t as common as it is today, with four children to take care of.

For Clark’s part, she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in women’s studies at California State University at Northridge. She lived in California for eight years, managing an accounting office. She also went to school at night and volunteered at the California Women’s Law Center and Interface Children and Family Services, which helped victims of domestic violence, youth crisis and substance abuse.

She moved to Jacksonville in 1993, working at the University of North Florida’s Women’s Center as a victim advocate as well as volunteering at Hubbard House. On top of that, she attended Florida State for her master’s degree in social work, then became a licensed clinical social worker.

In July, Clark became the interim president and CEO of Girls, Inc. of Jacksonville, the North East Florida chapter of the national organization. The position became permanent in January.

Girls, Inc. provides enrichment programs for girls that cover everything from peer pressure to media literacy to unplanned pregnancy.

Clark has also been a counselor for women and children at Community Connections and worked as the executive director of Betty Griffin House for 12 years. She retired in 2008 and got involved with the board of directors with Girls, Inc. before going back to work for women’s issues.

“I had a nice break, but I am enthused to work with issues with women and girls,” she said. “To me they’re not girls’ rights but human rights … a right to be themselves and not behave in ways that are stereotyped for us, whether it’s being extra thin, not to be objectified, a right to economic independence and parenthood.”

Clark has three children and five grandchildren and keeps them in mind when volunteering. That was especially the case when she was a part of the women’s health study that pointed to evidence that hormone replacement was more harmful than beneficial.

“I thought it was important to do for my granddaughters and daughters,” she said.
Now Clark’s son and two daughters have integrated women’s issues into their lines of work. And Clark said her husband, Neil, is “learning a lot.”