Clinton is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, and the University of Virginia School of Architecture. He founded Clinton Brown Company Architecture, a leading historic preservation and grants services firm. Clinton is a founding member of the Board of the Richardson Center Corporation that is rehabilitating the former State Asylum Complex in Buffalo and a Commissioner of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission, having been appointed by three Secretaries of the Interior. Clinton was involved in creating the New York State Historic Tax Credit program.

His firm has surveyed more than 18,000 potential heritage resources and nominated more than 8,000 for heritage designation, including the Elmwood Historic District in Buffalo, one of the largest historic districts in the US, where more than 5,000 property owners can access historic tax credits. He has been honoured as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. A Niagara River Region native, he is active in civic, public policy, heritage, economic and equity initiatives. He is the Board’s liaison to the Advisory Council.