bio
Dr. Daralee Barbera
Dr. Daralee Barbera EdD CFP® CMFC® CLF® ChFC® CPMBC® CEPA® is passionate about the critical role of leadership, personal growth, and professional development. She is a certified master business coach, international speaker, professor, author, and consultant.
Dr. Barbera holds an EdD in Leadership and Organizational Change from The University of Southern California (USC), a BA in Mathematics (summa cum laude), and an MEd from California State University Long Beach (CSULB).
She is co-Principal and President of Diversified Professional Coaching (DPC) LLC. DPC ‘s 60 business coaches have over 700 years of financial services experience.
At The American College of Financial Services she is Program Director of the Masters of Science in Management and Leadership, the George G. Joseph and Richard A. Liddy Chair in Practice Management and Leadership, and Assistant Professor in Leadership. At California Lutheran University, she was the Financial Planning Program Director of the CFP, MBA in Financial Planning, and MSFP programs.
Daralee is a veteran of the financial services profession, retiring after 30 years as a Managing Principal and a distinguished 34-year career at Waddell and Reed. She was the Executive Vice President of GAMA International.
Dr. Barbera has co-authored two books: Women Matter – The Why and How of Gender Diversity in Financial Services and What You Can Do…When You Can’t – 21 Days to Personal Success. Her doctoral dissertation addressed Financial Literacy for Women and the Role of Financial Education. She is a contributing author to The Experience of Leadership – Proven Examples from Successful Leaders, by Fred Stuvek, Jr.
In 2023 Daralee became the 70th recipient of the Will G. Farrell Award. Presented annually by NAIFA LA and FSP-LA County, it honors a member of the life insurance industry in California who has given distinguished service to others in and out of the industry.
As well as having served on The American College’s Board of Trustees, she is past President of the GAMA International Board of Directors. She was “Woman of the Year” for WIFS (Women in Insurance and Financial Services) and was named as one of the “20 Women in Insurance You Need to Know” by Life Health Pro. She serves on the Board of MoneyWeave Academy, a non-profit organization focused on promoting financial literacy for women.
She is a member of NAIFA (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors), Finseca, FPA (Financial Planning Association), PBCA (Professional Business Coaches Alliance), and WIFS (Women in Insurance and Financial Services).
Dr. Barbera is a member of GAMA Global, Life Happens, Finseca, and DPC Speaker Bureaus and has addressed many thousands of financial services professionals, both domestically and internationally. She has been featured in Forbes.com, California Broker, AdviseHer, Find Bob Community Cast, Take Five GAMA Global, GAMA International Journal, National Underwriter, Life Health Pro, Advisor Today, The Wall Street Journal, Business Wire, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, The Wealth Channel, World News, International Business Times, GAMA’s “Best Ideas” series, Orange County Register, The Buffalo News, Financial Planning, Investment News, Insurance News Net Magazine, and KPPC and KNX Radio in Los Angeles