Derek is a husband and father first and secondly a teacher. He and his wife (also a teacher) have lived in Springfield, Ohio, for over 25 years. They originally came to Ohio to complete educational degrees and have earned four degrees and multiple endorsements over the past quarter century. Derek and his wife have two sons who are working hard to establish careers in their respected fields of study.
Derek began his career working with youth with special needs over 20 years ago . He has worked in a variety of settings from home healthcare to working as a counselor in a Youth Rehabilitation Center. Derek has been a classroom teacher for over 15 years in a variety of settings from public schools to behavioral centers for students that have trouble finding success in the traditional classroom environment.
Derek graduated from Wittenberg University with a B.A. in Organizational Leadership. He then earned his M. Ed. in Special Education from Antioch McGregor in Yellow Springs. During the COVID lockdown, Derek decided to use his time wisely and earned a Principal’s License from the University of Dayton, Ohio.
During his summer breaks, and one sabbatical, Derek has taught English as a Foreign Language to college students and professors at universities in China, Indonesia and Turkey. He and his wife launched an outreach program as a part of Friends for Education, Honduras, an NGO that serves marginalized female high school students in Santa Barbara, Honduras. The program ran for three consecutive summers pre-COVID and reached over 50 students in after school Intensive English classes based on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) with a focus on Scenario Based Learning. While classes were in session for the students, he and his wife traveled through the region and led professional development for over 100 teachers on English language pedagogy. During the final of the three summers, Derek and his wife were awarded a grant to bring three more teachers to Honduras to expand programming.
A highlight for Derek was volunteering with various programs while living in Bogotá, Colombia, during 2015 - 2016. Derek was in Colombia with his children and wife (who was working as an English Fellow). His son's attended school in Spanish while in Colombia. Derek spent his time teaching STEM classes in English and holding conversation classes for teens and adults at the Centro Colombo Americano. He also engaged in outreach work with Fundación de Tiempo de Juego, a program in the Soache neighborhood that teaches students about SEL through fútbol (soccer).
For the last five years, Derek had served on the Board of Directors for National Trails Parks and Recreation . He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Jefferson Street Oasis Garden and Project Woman in the past.
As you can see, Derek is interested in his community and has made multiple efforts to be an engaged member of the community.