For over 16 years, Derek has been a trusted and reliable authority in branding, marketing and public relations serving clients in the sports and entertainment industry with a special focus on multicultural marketing, HBCU brands and events.

He has led the creative and communications strategies for some of the largest and notable HBCU events and brands in the country including the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s (CIAA) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament and Football Championship, the National Battle of the Bands, and consulting projects for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and Orange Blossom Football Classic.

Derek is an award-winning entrepreneur beginning his full-time entrepreneurial journey in 2014 with the launch of his agency, The D² Group; and has represented clients such as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), National Battle of the Bands, Lenovo, and North Carolina Science Festival to name a few.

Derek has secured client placements in over 250 print, TV and radio outlets including top national publications such as ESPN, USA Today, The Undefeated, Forbes, ESSENCE, EBONY and Sport Illustrated; totaling more than 329 million media impressions over his career to-date.

Derek has been featured and seen in publications such as Rolling Out, EBONY, Uptown, Sister 2 Sister magazines; is a contributor to Sports Destination Management, co-creator of the podcast ‘Can I Get A Repost’, and has also been honored as a 2017 Black Enterprise (BE) Modern Man of Distinction, and served as a panelist at the 2018 Black Enterprise Entrepreneur Summit, and  speaker at the 2019 Build Your Own Brand Conference,

Derek serves as a brand and PR trainer for Andy Henriquez’s Story Into Profit Mastermind

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Derek currently serves on the National Board of Directors for the nonprofits WeINSPIRE Movement and The Webber Foundation, and recently joined The George Washington University Digital Marketing Certificate Program as an Advisory Council Member.

Derek received his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from UNC-Charlotte and a MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel-Hill. His motivation is creating opportunities for the next generation not readily accessible to BIPOC students, as well as using his story and experiences as a source of inspiration, education, and empowerment for others.