Debbie Clark: influenced by a business teacher in her sophomore year at high school, Debbie Clark chose accounting as an education plan and says she's never looked back. She's pictured with her great-niece Kassidy.

• Author: Clark, Debbie
• Position: BALANCE SHEET - Interview

NAME Deborah Lynn Clark

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

GOES BY Debbie

TITLE Managing Director

COMPANY Strategic Capital Corp., a provider of financial advisory, restructuring and crisis management services.

BORN Traverse City, Mich.

EDUCATION SUMMARY BS/BA from Youngstown State University in Accounting, 1980. MBA from the University of Houston, 1997.

CAREER SUMMARY Reali, Harshman & Co., staff accountant, Youngstown, Ohio, 1980-81; Beckett Aviation/Aero Services, international external reporting manager, 1981-87; YRG Corp. (d/b/a Ridgeway's), positions leading to controller, Houston, 1987-96; JAR Industries, (d/b/a Network Cabling Services), controller, Houston, 1996-99; Heritage Texas Properties, CFO, Houston, 1999-2001; Advanced Telecommunication Systems, Inc./ATS Plus Inc., CFO, Houston 2001-02; Strategic. Capital Corp., managing director, 2002-present.

FEI CHAPTER Houston Chapter since 1994. Served as chair of arrangements and membership, as well as chapter vice president and later president, area director and area director at large.

LEISURE I'm a novice photographer and enjoy traveling, cooking and exploring new restaurants.

TIME MANAGEMENT Living close to the office lets me avoid commute time, and I try to make networking meetings at breakfast to avoid losing momentum once the work day starts.

STRESS MANAGEMENT I volunteer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, working with the large dogs a couple of hours a week. The simplicity of their mission, the pure joy of a successful adoption and the unconditional affection from the magnificent dogs keeps me grounded.

FAVORITE BOOK The Life Guide to Digital Photography, Everything You Need to Shoot Like the Pros, by Joe McNally. He continues to advance the technical aspects and art of photography to extraordinary levels, yet takes the time to teach the basics to novices like me.

FAVORITE APPS I use Drop Box and Notability extensively on my iPad, which are great for conferences and meetings.

IF I COULD I'D SPEND AN HOUR WITH Hillary Clinton. With poise and strength, she has shown how far an American woman can advance in her chosen field and how to avoid letting one's adversaries get in the way.

PERSONAL HERO Elizabeth Lusk Begley is my hero--Granny Lusk, as we called her, raised my mother and her four sisters by herself after losing her...