Clay was born and grew up in Champaign, Illinois. He participated in Boy Scouts, ultimately becoming an Eagle Scout, where he grew a love of nature. It was this background that lead him to become a geology major at Western Illinois. He spent 35 years as a geoscientist in the oil and gas business which offered him chances to work worldwide. While now "semi-retired" Clay is still active with directorships involving two oil and gas companies. It’s his love of nature which drew him to serve COL.
