Eloise E. Clark

Eloise E. "Betsy" Clark is an American biologist, best known for her long service (1969–1983) as Assistant Director for Biological, Behavioral, and Social Sciences at the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Born in Virginia, Clark graduated from Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia. Her Ph.D. (1958) in developmental biology is from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Washington University in St. Louis and at the University of California, Berkeley.

Clark taught at Columbia University from 1960 to 1969 as the first woman appointed to the biology faculty. A desire to try a different career in management while remaining close to science then brought her to the National Science Foundation.

Subsequent to her years at NSF, Clark was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bowling Green State University, positions which she held until 1996. In 1994 she served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

References

• Janis L. Pallister, "Meet Dr. Eloise E. ‘Betsy’ Clark", Bowling Green State University Retirees Association Newsletter, vol. 9, no. 1 (September, 2003)