Meet Beth Darby, director for investigations and policy in the Office of Inclusion and Equity. Since she joined the DDCE in March 2017, Darby has been serving as a resource for university policies and procedures related to equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, whistleblowing, anti-harassment, retaliation and other civil right policies and legislation.

Her favorite aspect of the job? Improving working and educational environments and ensuring that each person involved in an investigation is treated fairly.

“One thing I always think about when doing my job is that while I may be investigating many matters at any given time, each investigation could be the most important or stressful matter to each person involved,” Darby says. “Thus, the people involved deserve respect, fairness, and prompt responses. I enjoy being able to provide those things to people who come to the Office for Inclusion and Equity.”

Another gratifying aspect of her job is working with various members of the university community in training sessions and during investigations.

“Every employee I’ve met has taught me something I didn’t know or has given me greater insight at what is required to allow the university to thrive,” Darby adds.

Prior to coming to UT Austin, Darby served as an attorney in the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at Texas Tech University System. A licensed attorney in Texas, Darby earned her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, and her MBA and JD from Texas Tech University.

Though she has lived in various cities across the state, Darby has always called Austin home. Now living near her family, she is happy to lay down roots in the heart of Texas. A proud member of the community, Darby volunteers for the Junior League and Alpha Delta Pi. She also continues to operate Alpha Guards, LLC, a pool management company that she launched in 2010.

When she’s not working or volunteering in the community, Darby enjoys spending her free time with her friends, family and beloved rescue pup. After adopting Micah, she realized that some of the greatest things in life are often unexpected. While filling out the adoption papers, she realized little Micah (initially named Micah Rose) was, in fact, a boy. She later discovered that he was—quite literally—twice the dog she bargained for.

“I’ve learned a lot through having Micah, especially the fact that everything won’t always turn out the way you expected it to, but it can turn out to be better than you ever expected,” Darby says. “I could not be happier that Micah is twice the size I expected or that my dog is a he, rather than a she.”