A native of Virginia, Clayton is a Conservation Planner for Georgia-Alabama Land Trust and is based in Augusta, GA. Before joining GALT, Clayton worked with the Oklahoma Military Department as the Natural Resource Manager and was responsible for the wildlife monitoring and protection on all National Guard lands in Oklahoma. His education includes a Bachelor's of Science degree in biological sciences from Radford University in 2008. In 2015, Clayton completed his Master's of Science in biological sciences with a focus in wildlife biology from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. His M.S. focused on the herpetofauna in a bottomland hardwood forest in Louisiana. Since graduating from Radford, he has worked from Pennsylvania to Georgia to Wyoming conducting herpetological, mammalian, avian, and vegetation surveys for projects ranging from gas pipeline expansions, endangered species monitoring and protection, as well as wildlife hazard mitigation at airports across the country. His hobbies include hunting, bird watching, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and gem and fossil hunting.