Clay graduated with degrees in civil engineering and Russian from Brigham Young University. Convinced that with better design and stewardship of the earth’s abundant resources we could do “more with less (and for more people),” he began seeking experiences that would help him achieve this goal.

He researched, wrote, and edited articles for a small-scale agricultural non-profit organization, built domes for the world’s largest concrete dome company, researched composite space frame structures under an NSF grant, and studied geometric optimization for public infrastructure applications, receiving a minor and special award in mathematics.

In his professional work over the past two decades for Bay Area civil and structural engineering firms he designed water, sewer and storm drain infrastructure valued at tens of millions of dollars; Sonoma County’s first 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified residence; a seismic retrofit and addition to a 40,000 square foot Hyatt hotel; a Silicon Valley multi-family condo building worth over $11 million; ISO container-based shelters under an $890 million government contract; and hundreds of specialized foundations, retaining walls, and structural site features.

In 2010 Clay started Simmons Engineering, a growing civil and structural engineering company located in Concord, CA. Simmons Engineering focuses on residential and low-rise commercial structural projects with a specialty in foundation systems on expansive soils.