Clarissa started working with the NDC Partnership's Support Unit as a consultant in June 2021. Prior to that, she worked for UNHCR in operations in Central America, East and West Africa, and the Middle East. She primarily focused on resettlement while at UNHCR, but also supported refugee status determination activities and policy development on a range of topics. Clarissa also worked as a research specialist at New York University in Abu Dhabi. In that role, she supported several political science research projects in India.​

Clarissa has an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a BA Hons from New York University, where she majored in International Relations. She is a member of the NY State Bar.