Derek serves as the Director of the Canadian Poverty Institute at Ambrose University where he also teaches courses on poverty and Community Development. Derek’s work includes extensive experience in social research and policy development at The City of Calgary and in community development with various organizations across Canada. In 2018 he was appointed to the federal Ministerial Advisory Committee on Poverty, guiding the development of Canada’s national poverty strategy. Previously he served as the Executive Director of the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative, leading the Mayor’s task force on poverty reduction. Currently, Derek is a member of the Commission on Justice and Peace of the Canadian Council of Churches, serves on the Board of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Alberta, and is an Honorary Fellow at the Institute of Poverty Research and Management (InsPeK) at the University of Malaysia - Kelantan. Derek holds a graduate degree in Community Development from the University of Guelph, a BA in Political Studies from McGill University and is a Registered Social Worker with the Alberta College of Social Workers.
