WILL DARDEN: Alumni Team Lead & Director of Career Success

will@urbanpromisecharlotte.org

Passionate Learner. | Enneagram 3

Will is a longtime UrbanPromise teammate who brings both energy and stability to his role as Alumni Team Lead & Director of Career Success. A Charlotte native, Will graduated from CMS schools and is deeply invested in the upward mobility of his hometown. He graduated from UNC Chapel HIll before joining Teach for America, where he taught high school science for two years. During his first year of teaching, he was given the New Teacher of the Year award by The Beacon Initiative. 

Since joining UrbanPromise in 2015, Will has held a variety of roles, including StreetLeader Director and UrbanTrekkers Co-Director, before stepping into his current role leading the Alumni team. His strategic, energetic leadership makes him the perfect fit for supporting college-aged alumni as they launch into their young professional careers. 

Outside of work, Will is a closet "rock star" who has been chasing the dream since high school, when he played guitar in a band called "Technicolor". He loves seeing Charlotte grow and has developed a love for urban planning, civic engagement and exploring new neighborhoods around the city. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are avid travelers who love getting to know local cultures on foot, usually accompanied by their dog, Sutton.

Quick Stats:

  • Hometown: Charlotte, NC

  • Passion Points: Civic engagement, exploring, the arts 

  • Ask him about: The best biking route in Charlotte, his high school band days, or career launching for young professionals.

  • Superpower: Turning his deep love for the "20-Year Journey" into tangible upward mobility for alumni.

“UrbanPromise Charlotte allows me to live out my passion for supporting and developing students throughout their entire journey, while working toward a city where every child—regardless of neighborhood—can step into a thriving, choice-filled future. I especially love walking alongside our alumni as they launch into their young professional lives and discover what’s possible.”