Darlene began her academic career as a teacher and inclusive education consultant in Edmonton, followed by leadership positions in K–12 public education systems across the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Western Canada. She has served as a sessional instructor at Concordia University, the University of Alberta, Northern Lakes College, and the University of Victoria. Darlene has also worked closely with the Alberta and Nunavut Ministries of Education in the areas of curriculum development, assessment, and inclusive education, providing professional learning for educators and school leaders in both public and independent schools across Canada.
Before joining the Middle School as a Learning Resource Teacher in September 2019, Darlene worked at St. Margaret’s School for 16 years in a variety of senior leadership roles, including Director of Curriculum and Instruction.
During her time at SMUS, she co-led the development of a multi-layered Response to Intervention (RTI) framework to support the identification of and response to students’ learning strengths and needs at the Middle School.
Throughout her career, Darlene has been a strong advocate for inclusive education and for creating multi-tiered systems of support that enable educators to engage in thoughtful, generative conversations about the strengths and growth areas of all learners. She is passionate about building on the excellent work of her Middle School colleagues, who share a collective commitment to ensuring that all students learn at high levels and that responsibility for student success is shared across the community.
Darlene earned a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Manitoba, a Master of Education from the University of Alberta, and a Doctor of Education (EdD) from Western University.
