Dara Hartley

Dara Hartley has a diverse work experience spanning various industries and roles. Dara recently worked as a Senior UX Researcher at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, conducting qualitative and quantitative user research to provide insights and recommendations for product development. Prior to that, they served as a Lead User Experience Designer at Metasaur, where they created a comedy app and presented research findings and design deliverables to stakeholders. Dara also worked as a User Experience Designer for the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association, leading a complete website redesign and ensuring accessibility compliance. Dara's background includes teaching roles, such as an Art & Technology Teacher at the Brooklyn International High School and a Jazz History Teacher at Marble Hill High School of International Studies. Dara also served as an English as a Second Language Teacher at Fordham Leadership Academy for Business & Technology. Dara's passion for education and technology led their to work as a Digital Teacher Corp Fellow at New Visions for Public Schools, where they conducted user research to develop educational app prototypes. Additionally, they volunteered as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language and Community Developer through the Peace Corps in Mongolia, teaching English classes and improving the teaching methodologies of local English teachers. Overall, Dara Hartley has a strong background in user experience, research, education, and project management.

Dara Hartley has a diverse education history. In 2000, they received a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Queens College. Dara then pursued a Master of Education (MEd) degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Teachers College, Columbia University, which they completed in 2005. Most recently, in 2020, Dara attended General Assembly and completed a User Experience Design Immersive (UXDI)-Certificate, where they focused on User Experience Design.