Dr. Darline Robles is an expert in urban education, program development, and school leadership. A Professor of Clinical Education and Associate Dean at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, she teaches and serves as dissertation chair for students pursuing doctorate degrees as well as oversees the professional learning department, where she manages programs serving the broader K-12 community.
Before joining USC, Darline was a school superintendent for twenty years in three public school organizations. She retired after serving eight years as the County Superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), the nation’s largest regional service agency where she was the first Latina to hold the role. Prior to that, she was chief of the Salt Lake City School District for eight years and was recognized for raising student achievement. Darline also served as Superintendent of the Montebello Unified School District, where she successfully averted a state takeover.
Her leadership and impact have been widely recognized. She was twice named to Hispanic Business Magazine’s list of “Top 100 Influential Hispanic Americans,” honored as “Woman of the Year” by the L.A. County Commission for Women, and was recognized in 2022 by MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She also served for six years on President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
She holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Administration from USC, a bachelor’s degree in history from California State University, Los Angeles, and an associate’s degree from East Los Angeles College. Darline is the co-author of two books, “A Culturally Proficient Society Begins in School” and “Now What? Confronting Uncomfortable Truths About Inequity in Schools.”
