Get to Know
Darby Conerly
Darby Conerly is a graduate of Albion College with a 3.98 GPA in Political Science. She earned Dean’s List every semester and Albion Fellow status while playing varsity lacrosse.
Her policy experience covers three angles: legislative research in Washington, DC, a law office internship, and a congressional campaign.
What sets Darby Conerly apart is her ability to lead. Four organizations elected her to office, twice in the same sorority, and one vote came from a body of more than 100 peers.
That pattern is reinforced by a consistent service instinct: peer tutor, mentor to 15 first-year students, campus tour guide, and YMCA camp leader supervising 25 staff and 100+ children. She has communicated with hostile constituents, worried parents, and DC clients alike, pointing toward a career in policy or advocacy.
Darby Conerly spent her undergraduate years proving she can lead. The next chapter is just beginning.
Darby Conerly: Educational Background
BA, Political Science
Public Policy & Service Concentration
Communication Studies Minor
She made the Dean’s List every semester and earned Albion Fellow status, which requires a 3.7 GPA or higher across three or more consecutive semesters. She completed the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service, a program of distinction, and was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society. She also studied abroad at the University of Stirling International Summer School in Scotland.
Darby Conerly: Career Growth & Development
Organizer
Green Corps |
August 2026 - Present
Darby has joined Green Corps as an Organizer, a full-time role with The Public Interest Network. Green Corps trains organizers, provides field support for critical environmental campaigns, and graduates activists who have demonstrated the skills, temperament, and commitment to win tomorrow’s environmental battles. With more than 400 graduates, it has been the country’s most respected training program for environmental organizers for over 30 years.
The yearlong program pairs eight weeks of classroom training with field experience. Darby will learn how to recruit and train volunteers, develop strategic campaigns, organize events, and gain media coverage, then apply those skills across three to five campaigns in different communities across the country. On each one, she will identify and train activists, build visible community support, secure media coverage, and work to win policy changes that protect the environment.
Undergraduate Research and Program Intern
Winning Connections | Washington, DC
May - August 2025
Darby conducted state and federal policy research that supported strategic marketing and political outreach campaigns. Her work included analyzing legislative trends and public opinion data to help shape messaging for clients and advocacy partners.
She also maintained and updated research databases in Salesforce, and worked alongside the marketing and strategy teams to deliver rapid-response insights on emerging policy issues.
Intern
Lynn SV Pardee, PLLC | Montross, VA
May - September 2024
Darby shadowed juvenile court cases while maintaining strict client confidentiality. Her work also included legal research and drafting Power of Attorney documents, as well as researching legal software for the practice.
Intern
Abigail Spanberger Campaign | Fredericksburg, VA
May - September 2022
She sharpened her verbal communication skills through direct contact with constituents, engaging voters across the full spectrum of reactions, from hostile to enthusiastic.
She also collaborated with team members to develop a deep understanding of the candidate’s positions, then consistently communicated those themes through phone banking.
Darby Conerly: Leadership & Campus Involvement
Varsity Women's Lacrosse
Darby received Academic All-District honors in May 2025 and was named to the All-Time Albion Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll. She also earned MIAA Academic Honor Roll recognition, which requires student-athletes to maintain a 3.5 GPA for the academic year while earning a varsity letter.
Beyond competition, she served on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee for women’s lacrosse from March 2025 to May 2026, advocating on behalf of her teammates to the larger committee.
Phi Alpha Delta
Phi Alpha Delta is a professional law fraternity with chapters at law schools, undergraduate campuses, and among practicing attorneys. It is one of the largest legal fraternities in the United States.
Her fellow members elected her Secretary for the 2024 to 2025 term, a vote drawn from a chapter of 15 members.
Delta Gamma & Panhellenic Council
Darby Conerly is a member of Zeta chapter of the Delta Gamma sorority at Albion College.
Her chapter elected her to two consecutive executive positions. She served as VP of Programming from September 2024 to December 2025, then as VP of Member Education from September 2025 to April 2026. Both elections drew votes from a chapter of 30 members.
Her influence extended beyond her own chapter. She served on Panhellenic Council from January 2024 to January 2025 and was elected VP of Scholarship, a position voted on by more than 100 members across the Greek community.
Summer Camp Staff
Program 1 Leader, YMCA of Stafford, VA
Darby Conerly served as Summer Camp Staff and Program 1 Leader at the YMCA in Stafford, Virginia, from January 2022 to August 2024.
She supervised 25 camp counselors and assistants while overseeing more than 100 children weekly, ages 7 to 13, across a wide range of interests, skills, and developmental levels. Her responsibilities included planning and leading age-appropriate activities while modeling the behavior expected of campers to prevent conflicts and disruptions.
She also handled emergencies, following first-aid protocols and coordinating with medical personnel when participants needed care. Parent communication was a consistent part of the role, from daily updates on camp activities to progress evaluations and feedback, and she reported concerns and suggestions up to her supervisor.
Darby Conerly: Personal Values
Integrity
Darby Conerly defines integrity as doing what is right when no one is checking, and holding to the same standard whether or not it is convenient.
Darby shadowed juvenile court cases and maintained strict client confidentiality in a setting where the stakes of a lapse are real. Her 3.98 GPA across four years reflects the same consistency. Excellence sustained that long is a habit, not a performance.
Service
Service, according to Darby, is the act of investing time and effort in others without expecting a return.
Darby mentored 15 first-year students through their transition to college, tutored peers, led campus tours, and led YMCA camp programs for more than 100 children each week. She also completed the Ford Institute’s requirement of 10 service hours per semester. The through line is a person who shows up for others by default.
Collaboration
Darby views working alongside others toward a shared outcome and making the group stronger through their presence as the epitome of collaboration.
Four organizations elected Darby to leadership roles, including a Panhellenic vote by more than 100 peers. People do not choose teammates they cannot work with.
On the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, she represented her lacrosse teammates’ interests to a larger body, and at Winning Connections, she partnered with marketing and strategy teams to deliver rapid-response insights.
Critical Thinking
Analyzing information carefully, questioning assumptions, and reaching sound conclusions.
At Winning Connections, Darby analyzed legislative trends and public opinion data to shape client messaging, which required separating signal from noise under deadline pressure. She conducted legal research and drafted documents including a Power of Attorney.
On the Spanberger campaign, she adapted her message to constituents across the full range of receptiveness, reading each situation before responding.