Karen Darby is the Early Learning MultiMedia Manager at Southwestern Child Development Commission, Inc.  Creating and delivering continuing education learning events are a part of her duties.  Karen assists participants with registration, supports instructors with course creations and reviews courses for accuracy and alignment policy.

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Karen currently serves as an elected member of the IACET (the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training) Advisory Council.   She is a prior member of the IACET Badging Committee, Awards Committee .  She is also an elected member of the advisory board for the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP).  She also serves on the PBS Teachers Advisory Panel and is an active member of the Teachstone Advisory Panel.  She is a past and current a member of the IACET Distance Learning Task force to help create a distance learning resource guide to help clarify each of the IACET standards as well determine how each Continuing Education/Training standard applies in the world of distance learning. Karen is also a member of the  Statewide Practice Based Coaching Leadership Team.  In the past, Karen  has served on the Program Committee of EdMedia 2017 - World Conference on Educational Media & Technology for AACE (Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education) as a reviewer of conference papers.   

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 Karen holds both a Bachelors in Elementary Education from West Virginia University and a Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Karen has recently earned a Micro Masters certificate in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Maryland.   She holds a Level 12 Early Educator Certificate in both the Early Care and School Age Fields  with endorsements in Professional Development, Technical Assistance, and Administration.

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Before becoming the Early Learning MultiMedia Manager at SWCDC, Karen was the Statewide School Age Education Specialist. Karen has also served as the Board President for the North Carolina Afterschool Coalition, served as the Conference Chairperson for the North Carolina Afterschool Coalition for 4 consecutive years and worked as the Regional School Age Specialist for Region 7 providing technical assistance and training to afterschool professionals.

Karen has been employed with Southwestern Child Development Commission, Inc. since August of 2011. Karen’s work experience also includes More at Four Teacher with Gaston County Schools, Technical Assistant with the Partnership for Children of Lincoln/Gaston Counties, Adjunct Instructor at Gaston College in Gaston County, Director at Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church Child Care Center, and lead teacher at Ashford Academy.