She is the recipient of eight honorary doctorate degrees and an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Clayton is an Elder at Cotton Memorial Presbyterian Church in Henderson, North Carolina. She serves on several boards that address hunger, agriculture and state policy issues, including the "United States Alliance to End Hunger", the "Global Food Banking Network", and the "Center for Environmental Farming Systems". Clayton is married to Theaoseus T. Clayton Sr., Esq. and they have four children and six grandchildren.