Darla Hancock graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Performance and a Bachelor of Science degree in Commercial Graphics. Although Darla’s first job out of college was designing Yellow Page ads, she spent the next 10 years teaching either music, art, theater, or library in preschool to university age classrooms and stages. About 10 years ago, Darla fused her experience as an educator with her passion for entrepreneurship, writing, design, and connecting people to transition into the field of digital marketing. Since then, she has worked with over 20 non-profits and/or small businesses to establish their brands and create online communities. Through ICHRIE's staff professional development, last year Darla earned a Certified Digital Marketing Professional certificate (CDMP) from the Digital Marketing Institute and a Digital Marketing Certification (DMC) from the American Marketing Association. Throughout her career, whether in the classroom, administrative roles or communications, Darla's sense of empathy gives her a unique perspective for both students and customer service, thrives in creating processes and content for story-telling visual communication, and uses her skills in project management, organization, and building a sense of inclusion to bring value and success to her teams. 

In her free time, Darla enjoys painting, visiting local coffee shops, and collecting books, but her favorite way to spend time is with her husband and children. Darla also serves as the Pastor’s wife at her church.