Marcia Prosper Darby

Lady Marcia Prosper Darby is a native New Orleanian and has been a staple in the tapestry of the New Orleans culture for more than two decades. Marcia, alongside her husband, is the owners of Adrian’s Bakery, one of New Orleans’ finest bakeries. Adrian’s Bakery is the heart and soul of the Paris Avenue Corridor providing sweet delicacies to the community, movie sets, and government officials. Through a partnership with 1-800 ProFlowers they are also a distributor of edible fruit arrangements throughout the Metropolitan Area. Marcia is frequently called upon to host cake decorating classes for local non-profit organizations.

In addition to baking, Marcia has an infectious and charismatic personality with a business acumen for success. When she is not stirring up something sweet, she is working to improve neighborhoods by purchasing and flipping property via her company The Flipping Queen, LLC. Through this endeavor, she continues to play a pivotal role in the revitalization of inner-city neighborhoods. Her commitment to community continues through her mentorship of young aspiring entrepreneurs. Marcia fervently believes in employing young people and supporting them in the development of the skills needed to become successful business owners. Additionally, she has hosted several sessions on entrepreneurship and financial freedom for youth mentoring programs.

Marcia is a proud graduate of Joseph S. Clark High School. She attended Southern University at New Orleans with a major in business administration. Marcia is a crafter and master bakester and has attended numerous expos, food shows, and trainings to improve and enhance her skills.

Marcia joined Krewe of Athena in 2017 and is a proud member of The New Edition class. She wears the “Lady of Athena” title with great pride and humility and is dedicated to all things Athena. Since joining Athena, she has worked as a member of the Fairy Godmother’s, Young Ladies of Athena, Membership and Good and Welfare committees. In 2019, Marcia served as lead travel agent for the KOA Ladies Tour. She is most proud of her tenure as a lieutenant of the Stunning Stars Float Krewe, which was awarded the float Krewe of the year for the 2021-2022 season for outstanding leadership and notable recruitment and retention.

Marcia’s platform focuses on raising awareness of the risk of diabetes in the African American community. As a diabetic, she truly believes that the more diabetes is talked about the more others will begin to take preventive measures. Marcia launched her campaign in early November, as November is National Diabetes Month. Her campaign has included a call to action and virtual awareness walk. In the spring of 2023, she is looking forward to hosting the Inaugural KOA Health and Wellness Fair with a focus on diabetes screening and awareness.

Marcia is an avid traveler and has a passion for sports, namely the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. She attends New Orleans Bible Fellowship Baptist Church in New Orleans. Marcia is the daughter of the late Gerald and Gwendolyn Batiste Prosper. She credits her strength and tenacity to her faith in God and the steadfast support of her husband of 34 years, Mr. Adrian Darby Sr. Marcia states,” my husband is the wind beneath my wings. There is nothing the two of us can’t achieve together. He is truly my better half.” She is a devoted mother to her three children Adrian Jr., Farrah and Earvin and the loving grandmother to 6 granddaughters and 5 grandsons.