Darla is a lifelong educator who has served students in a wide variety of roles.  Born and raised in Texas, Darla left the state to pursue a bachelor’s in English and American Literature at Brown University. Darla relocated to Anchorage, Alaska to begin her career as an educator and eventually earned a master’s degree in Instructional Technology from Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Oregon.

During her 24 years in the Anchorage School District, Darla wore many hats—English teacher, technology coordinator, Director of Educational Technology, and finally Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction.

After retiring from her career in public education, Darla returned to the Austin area and shifted her focus to the college transition process. Darla enrolled in the University of California Irvine’s Independent Educational Consultant Certificate Program and earned her certificate in 2018. She is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association and The Texas Association for College Admission Counseling. In her spare time, Darla loves visiting colleges across the country, jet skiing on Lake Travis, and listening to her husband and son perform live music in their band. She is also a proud parent of a current Longhorn nursing student.