Darrell received his B.A. in political science from the University of Iowa in 1966. Following two years teaching social studies at Mid-Prairie HS in Wellman, Iowa, and military service in Vietnam, he returned to graduate school and earned an M.A. in government and politics from the University of Maryland in 1972. During and following his graduate studies he served on the staff of a senior member of the U.S. Congress, and after receiving his J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law, was named Assistant Counsel to a Congressional Committee. From 1979 to 2001, he also held various positions with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, including Legislative Counsel and Director of Regional Operations, a position in which he oversaw the work of 70 administrative judges throughout the United States.

Following his retirement from the U.S. Government in 2001, Darrell spent three years in Delaware, and then relocated to San Diego, California in 2006, where he is active in non-profit organizational work, and is also a certified arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).