February 07, 2024
Page 5
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024
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Discover
Jay Darden
Building a
Program from
Scratch
By Bill Sheehan
Jay Darden was born and
raised in Portland, Oregon, so
it's fitting he's become a trail-
blazer. Hired in May as the Cal
State Fullerton Athletic Depart-
ment's inaugural assistant athlet-
ic director of Diversity, Equity &
Inclusion, Darden has been giv-
en a free hand to develop a pro-
gram that will serve the sports
administrators, coaches and stu-
dent-athletes. He is believed to
be one of the nation's first DEI
directors dedicated solely to in-
tercollegiate athletics.
With no templates to guide
him, Darden is truly building
the program from scratch. "I'll
be honest. Every day has been a
challenge. But this is also a great
opportunity," said Darden, who
was a three-year starting cor-
nerback for Division 2 Western
Oregon University. "I can lay the
groundwork and say that I creat-
ed a DEI program at a Division
1 school.
Darden, whose full name is
Jeff Darden II, arrived at Ful-
lerton after a 26-month stint as
a senior academic advisor at Cal
State San Marcos. He has spent
the summer meeting with Titan
administrators and coaches and
learning the ins and outs of cam-
pus life.
He formed a DEI commit-
tee to assist him. The commit-
tee held a Zoom meeting this
month to discuss the establish-
ment of best practices, mission
goals and principles as well as
setting up measured outcomes.
The panel also discussed launch-
ing activities such as having
guest speakers, panel discus-
sions and student mixers where
student-athletes from across
Titan Athletics could exchange
thoughts and ideas.
Darden also plans to hold
training sessions three times a
semester for coaches and ath-
letics staff members. "We re-
ally want to do everything in a
meaningful way," said Darden.
"Students today are much more
comfortable voicing their opin-
ions. Parents and coaches are
encouraging students to speak
out more, especially when it
concerns their mental health. We
want to decrease any sense of
isolation that might exist among
student-athletes."
Darden's father, Jeff, said his
son's life experiences give him
an enhanced perspective on what
a DEI job is all about. "Jay is
very much a people person who
is humorous and very easy to get
along with. He has a deep pas-
sion for athletics as well as help-
ing athletes to ensure they have
the academic background they
need for post-school jobs."
Darden's life journey has had
many twists and turns. Born to
teen-age parents, Darden and his
three younger siblings – two sis-
ters and a brother -- were primar-
ily raised by their father Jeff and
their paternal grandmother Lu-
cinda Baldwin. "My father was
in the Army, and I lived in Ha-
waii for two years as a kid before
we moved to Portland," he said.
Darden hopes his experience
as a DEI director will be step
toward his longtime goal of be-
coming a college athletic direc-
tor. "Right now, I'm focused on
DEI. But if I work hard, there
might be an opening in the AD
lane for me down the line."
Joy
Njenga’s
Remarkable
Journey
at MHCC
FACES OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN
From watching her brother’s struggle at birth to becoming
a nursing inspiration—Joy’s story will move you. Join us
in celebrating the tenacity and ambition of one of our
amazing students. Check out this uplifting read.
Read her incredible journey at bit.ly/joynjenga
MHCC is an EEO, Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, Title II, Section 504, ADA, ORS 659A Institution.