Sallie Clark was elected to serve as an El Paso County Commissioner in November of 2004 to represent District 3 and was re-elected in 2008. She was elected and served as Board Chair of the Commission in 2006 and currently serves as Vice Chair. Her district encompasses western El Paso County, including the City of Colorado Springs, the City of Manitou Springs, the Town of Green Mountain Falls, and the unincorporated areas in the western portion of the county, including the Turkey Canyon area on the south, the area just south of the Air Force Academy, and the Ute Pass area on the far west to the El Paso County line. Sallie became a military wife in 1980 when she married Welling Clark. In 1985, the couple settled in Colorado Springs. She has family roots in Colorado; her father was born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado and she spent every summer on her grandmother’s farm there. She loves Colorado, and continues to appreciate our open spaces, mountain scenery and especially the Pikes Peak area. She enjoys hobbies such as cooking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, tennis, golf and reading. Sallie has owned her own business since 1986. She operates Holden House Bed & Breakfast Inn, located on the historic Westside. Her local interest in public service began with the well-known issue to save Fire Station 3.
In addition to her service on the Colorado Springs City Council, she has served on various local and state organizations and committees. These include the State of Colorado’s Travel and Tourism Authority, Organization of Westside Neighbors, School District 11 Business Sounding Board, the Westside Schools Task Force, the National Fire Protection Association 1710 Committee, Council of Neighbors and Organizations, Springs Community Improvements Program Public Safety Committee, the Dr. Lester L. Williams Fire Museum Board, the Colorado Restaurant Association-Pikes Peak Chapter, National League of Cities Public Safety Committee, the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” Committee, and with her husband, founded the Colorado Bed and Breakfast Association in 1987. She is also an instructor and small-business consultant for aspiring bed and breakfast innkeepers. Sallie previously worked in the medical profession and the cancer field, prior to opening her own business over 23 years ago.
Sallie received the "2002 Woman of Distinction Award" from Soroptimist International, was named
one of the Denver Post’s People to Watch 2001, has been awarded the “Best Civic Leader", "Best Role Model” and “Best County Commissioner” from the Colorado Springs Independent Newspaper, and is a past recipient of the "Tourism Industry Award" from the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau. Sallie received the Colorado Springs Business Journal’s “40 Achievers Award“ and was nominated for the publication’s “2004 Women of Influence Award”. In 2005 and 2008, she was nominated for the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber’s “Athena Award”. In 2006 she received the “Accolades” award from the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber and the “Award of Distinction” from the American Heart Association for the Pikes Peak area’s Go Red for Women campaign. She served as campaign chair for 2006 and 2007 for United Way and received the Elected Official of the Year from the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce in 2008.In addition to her many volunteer activities, Sallie serves as liaison to the offices of the Sheriff, Treasurer, Coroner, and Surveyor. She is currently a member of the National Association of Counties (NACo) Justice and Public Safety Committee and serves as the State’s Child Welfare Allocations Committee representing Colorado Counties Inc. Her additional Commissioner duties include the El Paso County's Citizen Outreach Group, the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, Department of Human Services, the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment and the El Paso County Emergency Services Agency, among others. She is the third woman to have served as Commission Board Chair in El Paso County and also served as Vice Chair in 2005 and currently in 2009. She was elected in 2009 to serve as Vice Chair of the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA).
“It’s a privilege take an active part in our local government”, says Commissioner Clark. “I’m honored to represent and serve the citizens of El Paso County.”
