Meet Debra Coleman and Darin R. Hobbs

Debra Coleman

I’ve spent my career supporting administrators across higher education, nonprofit, and public institutions, helping them create order, clarity, and forward momentum in environments where stakes are high and resources are often stretched thin. My approach combines operational finesse with a service-centered mindset—streamlining the friction points that slow leaders down while building systems that support collaboration, equity, and organizational flow. 

Through The Seat Upstairs, I partner with leaders (VPs, Deans, Directors, Chiefs of Staff) who are navigating hiring freezes, budget limitations, high turnover, or gaps in administrative staffing, but require dedicated administrative support to maintain momentum. 

I also serve as a Google Workspace Educator, delivering engaging sessions and conference presentations that help teams collaborate more efficiently and confidently—because the right tools, used well, can transform how teams work together. 

And because I believe deeply in amplifying voices, I hosted and produced the Have A Seat podcast for five years—an experience that sharpened my storytelling, operations, and digital production skills, and deepened my commitment to elevating the everyday journeys of women in the workplace. 

If your organization needs steady, thoughtful administrative and operational support—especially in times of growth, transition, or capacity gaps—I’d love to connect.

 

Darin R. Hobbs

Darin R. Hobbs leads the Learning & Employment Records and Digital Credentials Ecosystem Development at Western Governors University (WGU) and has over twenty years of management and customer service experience in various professional, academic, and volunteer capacities. Darin is known for innovative solutions that create efficiencies within the work environment and constantly thinks creatively about how to reimagine processes and policies to better serve students. 

Darin has devoted his career at WGU to transforming higher education for the benefit of all learner-earners. Darin has served as the University Registrar and led the Office of the Registrar, which includes the departments of Student Records, Admissions & Transfer Evaluation. He is the executive business owner and leader of WGU’s Learning and Employment Record/Achievement Wallet initiatives, which aim to transform the student record into a learner-owned, digital record that is skills-based, machine-actionable, and built on a foundation of open standards. Darin is also the lead on the Indiana Achievement Wallet project. 

Lastly, Darin was also the WGU business lead on the four White House Learning and Employment Record (LER) pilots led by IBM/NSC, Walmart, Salesforce, and Workday. Darin continues to evolve the Indiana and WGU Achievement Wallet platform, working collaboratively across WGU departments and with external business partners. 

 Born and raised in Texas, Darin earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, and lives and works in the beautiful state of Vermont. Darin is the WGU representative to the Digital Credentials Consortium, as well as a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council.