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After a degree in Studio Arts, an MBA, and more than 10 years of apparel industry experience, Derek eventually had his flashpoint sustainability moment in 2006 after watching An Inconvenient Truth. As the credits rolled, he asked himself, “Why did I not already know that!?” and never looked back. Since then, he’s been a VP of Sustainability for Volcom, co-founded a Certified B Corp, created and taught sustainability curriculum for Orange Coast College, and developed a professional sustainability training program for brands looking to make sense of sustainability.
Derek is firm in his belief that more people in amazing brands need some guidance to understand the complex landscape of sustainability. Having worked with brands like New Balance, ASICS, Zumiez, Billabong, RVCA, and Roark, he has vast real-world experience. When not helping to build foundational sustainability knowledge at influential brands, podcasting, or spending time with his family, Derek tries to find time to surf, breathe, and stretch.