Governance

A native New Yorker from the Highbridge section of the Bronx, Darren has been a Charlotte, NC area resident since 2008.  He brings to the Tar Heel State a passion for teaching and guiding those of lesser means towards a path of success.  This passion was stirred up in his teens when his aunts, well in their thirties and forties at the time, were looking to further their education; yet at the same time, Darren did not know which direction he would take in life.  

"I remember in my junior year of high school, Ms. Raimondo, the guidance counselor, caught my attention between classes to tell me that I'm scheduled to take a class the next morning - the SAT - a test that I had never heard of.  In the classroom that morning were only about 20 of us out of a junior class of about 400.  Selected were only the kids with straight A's and the teachers' pets.  I was neither.  Fast forward several weeks, Ms. Raimondo grabbed me out of the halls once again and directed me to her office to tell me in confidence that I earned a Regents Scholarship.  I had the highest SAT score amongst my 'accomplished' peers in that classroom - yet it wasn't a good score.   I didn't realize until much later that my SAT score was average at best.  Taking the SAT without any foreknowledge and preparation, coupled with now knowing the resources that are available for those, like me at 16, who have potential but don't know how to procure those resources, led me to launch "The XChange". 

Although Darren's career has primarily engaged itself in Financial Services, he has volunteered and worked as a teacher/tutor for for several organizations including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Governor's Village, The NYC Department of Education, Kaplan Education Services, Wyzant, and the Huntington Learning Center, to name a few. 

Darren earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Economics at State University of New York, College at Oneonta and his Masters Degree of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Statistics at Bernard Baruch College in the City University of New York. 

He is married to Pamela and also lives with two sons and niece.