Board Member
Chair, Governance Committee

Derrick graduated from Tufts University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science. He continued his education at Tufts while working full-time, receiving a Masters of Science in Computer Science in 2010. Derrick has ten years of experience as a software engineer. After four years at Akamai Technologies, Derrick moved on to a technical and team leadership role at HP Vertica for two years. In 2015, Derrick joined Facebook to explore a role as engineering manager and mentor. In 2017, Derrick began a hiatus from full-time work to pursue passions outside of the daily grind. In addition to joining the Hearth Board, Derrick is a co-organizer for Boston’s annual blues festival, Sweet Molasses Blues.

Throughout Derrick’s technical career, he has focused on organizational behavior, team dynamics, and mentorship. He believes that the most successful organizations are those that put people first by promoting individual authenticity and creativity. Derrick is actively furthering his education and practice in facilitating, coaching, and mentoring. He enjoys applying his expertise in enterprise software companies to the Hearth while – conversely – learning from the community arts environment.

If you see Derrick at the Hearth, be sure to ask him about helicopter snowboarding, blues dance, or mindfulness and coaching. His down time is spent cooking and gaming (video and tabletop). You can catch Derrick at weekly blues dances in Harvard or Union Square, scoping out Cambridge and Somerville’s best coffee shops, walking the neighborhood with his dog Quinn, or at the gym and on the field.