Rooted in resilience

For Destry Fallen ’86, diversity, equity and inclusion mean far more than words printed on his business card.

When he was born in segregated Augusta, Georgia, the youngest of nine children, “colored” was stamped on his birth certificate.

“My mother grew up in a time when Black women could not wear a skirt downtown, when they were not permitted to look a white person in the face,” Fallen said.

His mother vowed, “This is not going to happen to my kids.”

The lessons started early. A portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. held a place of honor in the family dining room alongside a portrayal of Jesus at the Last Supper.

Fallen continues to be inspired by his late mother, Sarah Dunbar Fallen, and her passionate commitment to equality for all children. Her spirit infuses both his volunteer service to the University of Dayton and his work as director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Dayton Children’s Hospital. 

“We want to make sure that all of our patients’ families feel heard and valued by employees who are reflective of our community and reflective of their identities,” he said.

Finding friends and allies at UD

Fallen knows what it’s like to face discrimination, to have other kids intentionally try to knock him down at the skating rink. And he knows what it’s like to have allies like the kid Rex who grabbed his hand when he stepped onto a school bus filled with white children for the first time, saying, “Hey! Sit next to me.”

From the beginning, Fallen found many such allies at UD. As a high school football standout in Louisville, Kentucky, Fallen was courted by a succession of college coaches, including UD’s Mike Kelly and Rick Chamberlin ’80. 

“When I visited UD, it felt like home,” he said. 

He felt even more at home after forging lifelong friendships with fellow students and players, and meeting his future wife, Mona Guerrier Fallen ’91. 

“She was a brilliant, friendly yet feisty person,” he recalled.

Even as an undergraduate, Fallen seemed destined to become a social worker. 

“He would always be sharing his meal tickets with other students,” recalled former classmate Craig Salmon-Gilmore ’96.

During their freshman year the two friends were among the very few students of color on campus. Both became active with the Black Student Union — now known as Black Action Through Unity — and they continue to mentor present-day students and alumni. 

“The servant-leadership that we learned at UD continues to fuel us,” said Salmon-Gilmore.

Their paths to graduation, however. Fallen was never judgmental when his friend dropped out of UD, and he provided moral support when Salmon-Gilmore returned years later to complete his degree. 

“Destry never made me feel shame,” Salmon-Gilmore said. “He only sees the potential for good in everyone.”

Love, marriage and loss

After their wedding, the Fallens settled in Dayton, where he worked at Dayton Children’s Hospital as a social worker and she served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Dayton.

They maintained close ties with UD classmates such as Jack Green ’87 — a fellow UD football player — and his wife, Stephanie. Today Green serves as executive vice president and chief lending officer for Adelphi Bank in Columbus. The couples shared family vacations and cheered on each other’s children at sporting events.

“My kids call him Uncle Destry; his daughter calls me Uncle Jack,” said Green. “We are all family. And Mona was the loudest person at every game. She was joyous, hilarious, a very smart and caring person, with an infectious laugh.”

She continued to live with that same vigor even after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. She died at 47 in 2013, one week after their daughter, Sydney, turned 14. That only deepened the close relationship between father and daughter, who adopted the catchphrase, “We got this.” Sydney is now studying to be a physician’s assistant in Florida.

Fallen started dating his now-wife, Roberta Parker, in 2016; their first date was at the annual African-American Wellness Walk. They married in 2020. 

“Roberta is a strong-willed, caring, independent woman who is very family-oriented,” Fallen said. “I have truly been blessed.”

Fallen established the Mona Guerrier Fallen Endowed Scholarship for Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement, open to all students with the goal of providing the same life-changing opportunities they both found at UD. 

“Mona was a person who cherished her Haitian heritage yet also connected with so many different groups, and I wanted that legacy to continue,” Fallen said. “These scholarships have an impact that goes beyond financial assistance. It shows that someone sees them, cares about them and is willing to invest in them.”

Champion of diversity

In 2024, the Dayton Business Journal honored Fallen as a leader in diversity. Announcing the award on its website, Dayton Children’s lauded Fallen for “transformative initiatives” such as employee resource groups, as well as for spearheading key community events.

“Long before the development of DEI programs, Destry treated every family with respect and worked with people across lines of race and class,” noted Darryl Fairchild, manager of chaplain services for Dayton Children’s and a longtime friend and colleague. “Destry is warm, easy to talk to, and he has only two degrees of separation from anyone in the community.”

Time and again, Fairchild witnessed the way Fallen navigated challenging conversations with families. 

“People would recognize readily that he was concerned only with their wellbeing, that he had no agenda other than what’s best for the child in the room,” Fairchild said. “Sometimes that puts the social worker in a difficult position if someone in the room is harming a child. But Destry is both tenderhearted and tough-minded, and that enables him to be honest with someone.”

For Fallen, the approach comes naturally:

“I talk to families the way I would want someone to talk to my parent or family member. It goes a long way when you treat people with respect.”

His experience at UD, Fallen said, was a critical part of the journey that led him to such a fulfilling career: “I truly believe we all have gifts, and that it’s our job to find that gift and to go through the steps to make it possible. UD gave that to me.”