Dr. Jasmine Clark was born in Atlanta, GA in December of 1982. At a very young age, Jasmine realized her passion for the sciences and aspired to follow in the footsteps of her father, and one day be a doctor. She received her Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences, with a concentration in Microbiology, from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2005. She then went on to receive her Doctoral Degree from Emory University’s Laney Graduate School in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in 2013 after publishing her work on retroviral particle tracking using live cell imaging microscopy. Subsequently, in 2014, she completed a Postdoctoral project at Emory University, studying high-throughput sequencing of HIV patient samples. Jasmine currently serves as a Lecturer of Microbiology and Human Anatomy and Physiology at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. As the field of science requires strategic planning, problem solving, and attention to detail, in 2018, Jasmine Clark ran on the platform that her scientific background could add a unique and refreshing perspective to legislating in GA. On November 6, 2018, Jasmine Clark was elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives, where she currently serves as the Representative to House District 108, covering the Lilburn and Mountain Park areas of Gwinnett County.
Who is Dr. Jasmine Clark?
Along with her academic and professional accomplishments, Jasmine is a mother of two, currently residing in the Lilburn/Tucker area of Gwinnett County. Jasmine has been involved in community organizing and activism. She served as the Director of the March for Science held in Atlanta in April 2017. She then continued to work with other groups, including the Georgia Alliance for Social Justice, on advocating for social justice issues and causes. She believes that an inclusive Georgia is a thriving Georgia, and that there is no place for divisive rhetoric and discriminatory practices in Georgia's future.
First elected in 2018, Jasmine Clark’s legislative agenda has been focused on education, voting rights, reproductive rights, environmental protection, common sense gun reform, criminal justice and healthcare. During her first term, Jasmine Clark was the primary sponsor on HB 133, which seeks medically accurate sex education that includes accurate information regarding HIV prevention. She was also a top sponsor of dozens of bills that reflect constituent issues and concerns, her legislative agenda, as well as her core values. In the 2021-2022 session, Jasmine Clark plans to continue the work of being a science voice in the GA State legislature, and an advocate and voice for her constituency in House District 108. In the 2021-2022 session, she also serves as the Vice Chair of the Gwinnett State House delegation and as the Secretary on the Executive Board of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.
When she is not teaching at Emory, or legislating at the State Capitol, you can usually find her at one of her kid’s soccer games, basketball games or track meets, or with a microphone in her hand singing karaoke. Her personal philosophy can be summed up in this quote by the late Maya Angelou—“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”