An alumna of Haverhill High School in Massachusetts and recipient of multiple academic awards, Darcy Cardarelli attended Dartmouth College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology, after which she began her career as a computer programmer with John Hancock. Throughout the course of her 12-year career with the Boston-based company, Darcy Cardarelli earned a SPOT Award for Excellence and rose to the position of manager of the payroll and human resources development team.

From 1990 to 2006, Darcy Cardarelli held a series of management roles with SOTAS International, culminating in the position of president of the Haverhill-based company. A passionate supporter of cancer research, she is now working to develop a website through which users can share inspirational stories to help others to deal with cancer or to manage grief associated with the loss of a loved one. Additionally, Ms. Cardarelli is a strong proponent of maintaining a positive attitude in order to boost the chances of surviving cancer.