About Darrell

Darrell Paschal is an education policy researcher, civil rights and social justice advocate, and author whose work is deeply grounded in his roots in the Deep South. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran committed to advancing veterans' rights and well‑being by advocating for fair and equitable access to VA benefits and opportunity. He gained extensive experience in defense operations, law enforcement, and leadership as a security forces non-commissioned officer. His military service profoundly shaped his commitment to public service and his drive to advocate for veterans and their communities. Across his roles in research, public service, and nonprofit leadership, Darrell centers anti‑racist approaches, community building, storytelling, accountability, and transparency to challenge systems of power and domination that shape everyday life.

Darrell brings more than a decade of organizational leadership and project management experience across sectors, including logistics, healthcare, and financial management. His public service spans the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Air Force. As Founder and Executive Director of The Paschal Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, he leads strategic vision, program development, and operations for a mission‑driven effort dedicated to empowering veterans and expanding access to VA benefits.

A practitioner and scholar of project management, Darrell applies theoretical frameworks and industry best practices to complex, real‑world challenges. He is experienced in Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid methodologies and works fluently with tools such as Microsoft Project, Asana, Monday.com, Jira, and the R programming language. His focus on operational dynamics and process optimization enables him to design and deliver projects that meet stakeholder goals while honoring the communities most affected by policy decisions.

Darrell's research, activism, and public service are driven by a desire to dismantle systems of oppression by bridging scholarly inquiry and community‑based practice. His work centers the lived experiences of students, parents, educators, veterans, and communities—especially Black communities—to identify pathways toward educational, informational, and economic equity.

As a critical scholar, he interrogates the historical and contemporary policies and practices that reproduce inequities in access, opportunity, perceived deservedness, legitimacy, safety, and life expectancy based on race and discretionary practices. Through his writing, teaching, and leadership, he is committed to disrupting structures and relationships that maintain these inequities and to building institutions that reflect justice, dignity, and collective flourishing.

Research & Writing →