Prior to her retirement as an Executive Director with Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), Clarissa taught high school science and served as a science curriculum specialist in the Baltimore City Public School System. She then served as science coordinator, secondary curriculum director, and executive director of curricular programs for HCPSS. Clarissa earned her B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University and has a M.S. in curriculum from Loyola College (MD) and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from University of Maryland, College Park.
Clarissa is a member of the Board of Directors of Bright Minds, which is the HCPSS Educational Foundation. She served as co-chair from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018 and as chair from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020. She is also a member of Celebration Church at Columbia where she serves as a Deacon and a member of the Multi-Media Ministry. Clarissa is married to Dwight R. Evans, a retired Wilde Lake High School teacher. They are the parents of twin daughters and the grandparents of six.