Kevin Briscoe
At seventy-seven years old, service remains at the heart of Dr. Barbara Darby’s philosophy. “Service is giving of yourself because you are able to. You don’t do it for what you can gain,” she says.
In 1998, Dr. Darby was named president of Florida State College at Jacksonville’s North Campus and Nassau Center. Under her direction, enrollment grew exponentially through a community outreach plan that included mobile registration events at local malls, a partnership with the Jacksonville Airport Authority, and various other community initiatives to recruit new students.
She led the development of twenty-one academic programs, expanded the college’s nursing program, making it second in the state behind Miami-Dade’s, and introduced a bachelor’s degree for graduates seeking to continue their studies. Darby oversaw the construction of major facilities, including the Nassau Campus, to support the college’s physical growth and academic reach.
Her life story is one of leadership, and lifelong service. When her family moved to Brooklyn, New York, in the early 60s from Panama, she entered a new world full of opportunity that sparked her drive to succeed.
“As a little girl, I watched how my parents gave of themselves and treated others in our community and that was the impetus for me to live my life giving back and doing what I do,” Darby said.
As a nursing student, she recalls a moment that became a defining spark. “I remember my maternity nursing class, and I was looking at my professor, and I said to myself, ‘I can do that.’” That simple realization planted the seed for a lifelong career in nursing and, eventually, education.
Starting her career as a staff nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital in New York, she worked in the surgical intensive care unit with patients recovering from open heart surgery. That experience left her grounded with skills that guided her throughout her professional life.
It was during her time at the VA that she met her former husband, Tom, now deceased, through one of her patients. Their long-distance romance brought her to Jacksonville where she joined Baptist Medical Center as a critical care nurse, following her passion caring for open-heart patients.
After a rotation in psychiatric nursing and working on additional medical projects, Darby pursued a master’s degree in education from Florida A&M University and taught classes part-time at what is now known as Florida State College (FSCJ). Eventually, she left the hospital position and devoted herself to education.
“Of course, through my experiences and administration, I’ve had challenges,” she says. “Some thought I shouldn’t have been in my roles, but I knew in my heart I had all of the necessary qualifications and the credentials.”
Those include a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hunter College, a Master of Education (Adult Education) from Florida A&M University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Florida, and a Doctor of Education from the University of North Florida. More than that, she had the drive, and the mentality to never quit.
Darby continues to move with intention and motivates others even after retiring in July of 2015, and she shows no signs of slowing down. She currently offers consulting services to organizations in the healthcare and education industries, and loves spending precious family time with her husband, John, and their children and adult grandchildren.
When asked what advice she would give to those in their later years about staying active and purposeful, she adds, “Be about the business of helping others. They can benefit from your involvement, and I think that’s so important.
As a two-time president of the Jacksonville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., president of The Links, Inc. Bold City Chapter, chair of Leadership Jacksonville, and former board member for numerous community organizations, Darby lives by a principle that guides her service: “We’re planting the seeds for trees under whose shade we shall not rest. I serve with the understanding that I might not see the impact, but I can still make a difference.”
