A founding director of Red to Black and architect of a curriculum that prioritizes communication, empathy, and service alongside technical expertise, Durband has shaped a generation of financial professionals.
In the parking lot outside an office building, two Texas Tech administrators sketched the bones of an idea: students needed a place to talk about money without shame, and student financial planners needed real-world experience. That conversation between Dr. Bill Gustafson and then-Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Shonrock became Red to Black in 2001, a peer-to-peer financial counseling model that would redefine how universities approach student debt and financial literacy.
Durband arrived at Texas Tech a few months after that parking lot conversation and helped turn the idea into reality. Beyond Red to Black, she served as founding chair of the Department of Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences, building another program from the ground up. Today, as Associate Dean for Academics and Faculty in the College of Health & Human Sciences and Professor in the School of Personal Financial Planning, she carries that founding vision forward, but her real legacy reaches far deeper than any single program.
Starting Small, Thinking Big
Red to Black began with a handful of student volunteers providing financial counseling and education presentations to their peers. The beauty of the model, Durband says, lies in its simplicity: students are often willing to have financial conversations with someone who understands the realities of college life.
"I believed a peer-to-peer model could make financial conversations feel less intimidating," Durband said. "At the same time, serving as peer financial educators and counselors would allow our students to learn how to listen, ask thoughtful questions, explain financial concepts clearly, and help others identify manageable next steps."
That dual purpose—supporting students' financial well-being while preparing future financial professionals—became the foundation for everything that followed. Red to Black was the first peer financial counseling program in Texas, the third in the nation, and has inspired similar programs at universities throughout the U.S.
The program has evolved substantially since those early days. Today, it offers one-on-one coaching, financial literacy presentations, campus-wide outreach events, and resources addressing everything from budgeting and saving to paying for college and navigating major financial decisions. Yet what matters most to Durband is that the core remains intact.
"What is especially meaningful to me is that the heart of the program has remained intact," she said. "It continues to meet students where they are, make financial conversations more approachable, and provide students with opportunities to help one another."
The Human Side of Expertise
Durband's work has always centered on a deceptively simple idea: knowing the right financial answer is not enough. Financial professionals must listen carefully, communicate clearly, understand different perspectives, and create space for clients to discuss deeply personal concerns.
Through courses in client communication and counseling, experiential learning, and pro bono financial planning, she has worked to help students develop those abilities. Students practice conducting client conversations, asking difficult questions, responding with empathy, and translating complex information into guidance people can actually use.
"Technical knowledge is essential," Durband said, "but knowing the right answer is not enough. Financial professionals must also be able to listen carefully, communicate clearly, understand different perspectives, and create an environment where clients feel comfortable discussing deeply personal concerns."
This philosophy shapes how she approaches teaching and mentoring. Whether working with undergraduate students navigating their own relationship with money or graduate students developing as scholars and educators, she aims for students to feel supported, challenged, and understood.
That commitment has earned her the Texas Tech University Chancellor's Council Distinguished Teaching Award, the President's Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Alumni Association New Faculty Award. But she measures her impact differently.
"I am most proud of the students I have had the opportunity to teach and mentor and the ways they have carried this work forward," Durband said. "It is deeply rewarding to see former students build careers across financial planning and counseling, operations, compliance, education, research, and leadership, and to see them approach their work with both skill and compassion."
Building a Profession
Durband's vision for financial planning education extends well beyond individual courses or programs. She sees the profession itself evolving toward deeper engagement with the human dimensions of money.
As technology and artificial intelligence reshape how financial information is gathered and delivered, she argues that distinctly human capabilities become even more critical.
"That makes listening, empathy, and the ability to build trust even more important," Durband said.
She also champions experiential and community-engaged learning, pushing students to work with real situations, reflect on their own assumptions, and practice communicating with people whose experiences differ from their own. That approach, she believes, develops not just competent financial professionals but compassionate ones.
"I have also been committed to integrating service into professional preparation," she said. "Pro bono experiences allow students to apply what they are learning while developing humility, self-awareness, and a deeper understanding of the circumstances that shape people's financial lives."
Before returning to Texas Tech from a position as director of the School of Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University, Durband published two books through Springer: "Financial Counseling" and "Student Financial Literacy: Campus-Based Program Development," both aimed at helping institutions build sustainable programs and train the next generation of educators.
Looking Forward
When Durband talks about the future of financial planning education, she sounds like someone who has never stopped learning from her students or reckoning with what the profession needs most.
The technical side will always matter. But the field must place greater emphasis on behavior, family dynamics, culture, communication, and the many circumstances that influence financial decisions. Future financial professionals need to understand not just strategies but people.
"I want them to feel supported, challenged, and understood," Durband said of the students she mentors. "Their questions, experiences, and aspirations continually shape how I think about teaching and our profession."
That commitment to continuous learning, to building systems that serve students and communities, and to measuring success through the impact of her students' work defines Durband's approach to her role. Red to Black was never just a program to her. It was proof that a different kind of financial professional was possible, one who combines technical skill with genuine care.
For a quarter century, she has been building the blueprint for what that looks like.