Derek is the founder and Executive Director of Bridgetown, a leadership coaching and mentoring organization focused on the development of new and emerging leaders of color. Prior to starting Bridgetown, Derek worked at Turnaround for Children as the Chief Program Officer. In this role, Derek led the ongoing development and refinement of Turnaround’s programmatic strategy and model and ensured that the organization was equipped with the tools, resources, and insights to deliver on its mission. Before joining Turnaround, Derek worked at KIPP, a national charter school network, where he served as Managing Director of Student Support Services leading efforts in special education, social work, character development, and after-school programs. Prior to KIPP, Derek was a Network Leader at New Visions for Public Schools managing leadership, instruction, and operations support for 26 New York City public schools. Before his tenure at New Visions, Derek implemented K-12 programs in formative assessment and academic intervention at The Princeton Review and Kaplan, respectively.

Derek is a proud husband, father, and mentor. He enjoys travel, listening to music, and spending quality time with family and friends. Derek holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College.