A first generation college student, Darlyne was among the first women to attend Lafayette College. With an AB in psychology and certificate in secondary education, Darlyne received her MS in social work from Columbia University, partnered in starting a community mental health organization, and then earned a doctorate in Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University. Upon graduation she joined the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western where three weeks after receiving tenure she became their dean and a fellow in the Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Program. Desires to ?payback? her birthplace of Harlem NYC led Darlyne back east in 2002 as the vice president and dean and then acting president of Colombia's Teachers College. From 2006 until 2017, Darlyne returned to her first love-serving students, faculty, staff, and communities as a dean. In 2017, Darlyne stepped aside from administration to spend quality time with loved ones while delving deeper into areas of long-held passion: building communities honoring differences of identity, inspiring the co-creation of effective teaching-learning and engagement in community-based research, and convening local and national projects for genuine social justice. Serving boards of directors in higher education and social/nonprofit organizations and the recipient of numerous awards, Darlyne retains her commitment to "living fully" while helping others to do the same by reaching their highest potential.