About Tarryl
State Senator Tarryl Clark has spent her life – as a volunteer, a public servant, a wife and a mom – working to find positive solutions for the communities of Central Minnesota.
Meet Tarryl Clark
Tarryl was born in Norfolk, Virginia where her father was serving in the United States Navy. The oldest of four children, two of her three brothers also went on to serve, making hers a Navy family. Growing up, Tarryl was active in her school, church and community, joining Girl Scouts and 4-H – even winning a blue ribbon for sewing at the Fair – and competing in gymnastics and on the dance line in high school and college.
Tarryl was a frequent volunteer in her church, where she sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, and was one of the first female acolytes (altar girl) in her parish.
Tarryl followed in her parents’ footsteps and attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, and later earned a Masters degree in educational counseling. Tarryl also graduated cum laude from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, and is a licensed attorney.
Tarryl and her husband, Doug Clark, will soon celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. The Clarks and their two children, Colin and Nathan, have lived in Saint Cloud for 20 years. Their oldest son, Colin, graduated from St. John’s University (a second generation SJU grad – Doug graduated in 1982) and now works as an AmeriCorps/VISTA volunteer in Central Minnesota. Nathan just returned from an internship in Puerto Rico and is now beginning his senior year at the University of Minnesota.
The Clarks attend St. John’s Church in St. Cloud. They enjoy spending their free time on outdoor activities, especially cross-country skiing, boating, and biking. Tarryl is also an avid quilter and gardener, and an active member of the Saint Cloud Rotary.
Tarryl’s service to our community
Growing up in a family rooted in service to our nation, Tarryl learned the value of public service at a young age. Volunteering has always been a central part of her life.
Tarryl grew up as an active member of her church, and at St. John’s church in St. Cloud, the Clark family’s parish, Tarryl has been a lay reader and high school youth minister.
Tarryl also volunteered in her children’s classrooms, served on a committee to select a new principal for Talahi Elementary School, and coached a team in the Academics Triathlon.
Much of Tarryl’s work has focused on creating good local schools and good jobs. As a member of the St. Cloud District 742 Finance Study Group, Tarryl has helped the local schools squeeze the benefits from every public dollar. As a Commissioner of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of St Cloud, Tarryl helped create good jobs and affordable housing throughout Central Minnesota. Tarryl also works with the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce to build local infrastructure and secure funding for much-needed local projects.
Tarryl's career in public service
The values of service instilled in Tarryl have also guided her career. In her first job after college, Tarryl developed the Young Adult Program at the Center for Youth Resources to help teenagers and young mothers develop needed skills to get jobs and raise families. Working with the Land of Lakes Girl Scouts, Tarryl developed a teen outreach program to mentor young girls. As a Program Coordinator at the YWCA, Tarryl developed and led a teen pregnancy prevention program. As a founding member of Central Minnesota’s Habitat for Humanity, Tarryl became the organization’s first director and grew the volunteer base from 0 to 400. Both Tarryl and Doug remain active with Habitat.
As a lawyer, Tarryl has devoted her work to helping senior citizens, children, veterans, and working families. At the Public Policy Director for the Children’s Defense Fund of Minnesota, Tarryl developed an expertise in and passion for early childhood education. As Executive Director of the Minnesota Community Action Association, Tarryl worked with Community Action agencies and Head Start Programs across Minnesota. In this job, she travelled to towns and cites across Minnesota, talking with community leaders and volunteers about helping people through activities like Meals on Wheels, emergency shelters, and other local and regional efforts.
In 2003, following the tragic death of DFL Associate Chair Mary McEvoy in the plane crash that also claimed the lives of Senator Paul and Sheila Wellstone, Tarryl was elected as Associate Chair of the Minnesota DFL.
State Senator Tarryl Clark
Tarryl’s campaigns have been built on broad coalitions of leaders, business owners, community groups and residents from across the district, who helped Tarryl take her campaign door-to-door, person-to-person to talk about the issues. In 2005, those efforts helped elect Tarryl to the State Senate. Tarryl now represents District 15, including Saint Cloud, Waite Park, Saint Augusta, and Rockville.
As a State Senator, Tarryl has been a voice of fiscal responsibility and sensible solutions for the Minnesota Senate. She has led efforts to protect senior citizens, bolster early childhood education, and help veterans returning from combat duty transition into to civilian life. Tarryl has worked to upgrade the facilities at her local University; ensured Central Minnesota nursing homes were paid fairly; and establish a special law enforcement unit to fight gang activity in Central Minnesota. She serves on the Governor’s Workforce Council and Early Childhood Advisory Council, in addition to serving on the Senate’s Education and Higher Education policy and finance committees and as Vice Chair of the Rules Committee.
After winning reelection in 2006, Tarryl’s colleagues elected her as the Senate’s Assistant Majority Leader. In that role, Tarryl has focused on instituting accountability through performance measures and outcomes to ensure we're getting the best value for our dollars.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune has called Tarryl a “rising star,” and KSTP-TV describes Tarryl as a “strong voice of the… Senate.”