Meet Tambra Clark, An Educator Whose Passion For Tech Is Influencing Innovation For K-12 Youth Across Birmingham, AL – AfroTech
Tambra Clark realized her purpose in education and tech, and now she’s helping young people in Birmingham, AL, realize theirs.
Clark, who grew up in Joliet, IL, where she was shaped by her experience as the oldest of six siblings in a single-parent household, she shared in an interview with AFROTECH™. There she developed an early interest in tech. While attending Joliet Central High School, she joined the Tech Prep program and initially pursued computer science before being paired with a fourth-grade teacher, an experience that confirmed her decision to become an educator.
She enrolled at Joliet Junior College, majoring in elementary education. Then, she moved to Birmingham, AL, to further her studies at Miles College, an experience that built lifelong relationships that tied her to the city.
After graduating, Clark joined the Birmingham City School District (BCSD), teaching third grade at Central Park Elementary and Hudson K-8 School before spending eight years at Robinson Elementary in several roles, including technology teacher, a position she said “changed everything.”
There, she embraced classroom technology, built interactive whiteboards, and created a website to share assignments and student achievements.
She furthered her education by enrolling in a master’s degree program in curriculum and instruction with a focus on technology at Grand Canyon University, and later in a master’s degree in library science at Alabama State University.
In August 2016, she began working as a library media specialist and technology coordinator at South Hampton K-8 School. The library, which she described as “old” but “wonderful,” had more than 20,000 books, included two computer labs that she managed. These spaces soon became the home for book and coding clubs.
In 2019, Ed Farm entered the picture. Ed Farm is a “digital education partner for communities” that officially launched with support from Apple, Alabama Power Foundation, Tech Birmingham, and BCSD, and has opened immersive spaces for students, according to its website. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Ed Farm President Waymond Jackson said the organization aims to close the digital divide among both students and teachers.
Clark recalled attending an Ed Farm workshop in Phoenix, AZ, learning alongside teachers around the world about how to create and teach with Apple products.
Library of Innovation
Soon after, Ed Farm approached her about renovating South Hampton’s library into a state-of-the-art resource hub. The project was completed in 2022 and incorporated considerations from students. Clark also worked with curriculum developers to design the introductory innovation courses she would be teaching.
Students now have access to iPads, iPad Pros, iMacs, MacBooks, a 125-inch monitor, and drone technology. Clark even sponsored a middle school drone club in the district, according to The Birmingham Times.
The space also includes a studio for the student-led podcast “Bulldog Talk on the Edge,” according to information shared with AFROTECH™.
Having access to hands-on experience has led students to real-world innovation. In 2025, students from South Hampton won $12,000 in the ALTEC Innovation Challenge, according to Birmingham City Schools.
“They won $12,000 in Samsung technology for their variation of the Hygiene Hub, which is an upcycling machine that puts cloth and old clothes in it, washes it, shreds it, adds cotton, and it turns it into reusable diapers,” Clark explained during Sloss Tech 2026.
In 2026, the school’s students were named among the top 10 national finalists in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition for building a solar-powered, sensor-based tornado-monitoring and alert system that uses real-time weather data and sends updates via a mobile app, WBRC News reports. They traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete and received $50,000 in Samsung technology.
“Because these students were exposed to these resources … they were able to move beyond the scope of what they were expected to do and make national. It has been a fun ride,” Clark told AFROTECH™.
Clark’s impact at South Hampton K-8 School led to her promotion to BCSD technology integration facilitator in July 2025. In the role, she supports educators across the district with STEM and innovation resources and strategies. She also co-led the district’s AI governance committee, helping develop an AI policy and organize an AI professional development day.
Outside the district, Clark serves as board chair of Birmingham Women in Technology, where she oversees K–12 outreach.
