Staff Bio

DEREK MITCHELL
Workforce Development Director

Derek’s work at UTEC started in 2006, when he joined the team as the Farm Project Coordinator, a position that ultimately evolved into the Supervisor and then Director of the Fresh Roots Farm and Culinary program. Currently, his role as Director of Workforce Development and Social Enterprise still allows him to oversee the Fresh Roots project while also providing vision and direction to the UTEC’s expanding transitional employment programs. He has moved the departmental structure to integrate a number of profit-generating Social Enterprises, which pioneer the use market based solutions to intractable social problems of youth unemployment. This role is a perfect fit for Derek, who is an advocate of social innovation and is intent on bridging the non-profit/for-profit divide in the pursuit of creating significant and sustainable change.

Derek was first introduced to the complicated world of social change through his work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northern Nicaragua. There, in a small village without electricity, he learned both the challenges and necessity of collaborative problem solving while supporting progressing agricultural and economic activities in his village. He brought these ideas home with him and has remained committed to youth empowerment, community development and urban agriculture even since. As an extension of his work at UTEC, he sits on the board of the Revolving Museum, the Food Security Coalition and the Massachusetts Chapter of the social enterprise Alliance.

Derek’s education started at Brown University, where he majored in Philosophy, played varsity Lacrosse and won an annual award for community Service. He is also a graduate of Interise’s Streetwise MBA program in partnership with BU, has earned a Master’s Degree in Regional Economic Development from UMass Lowell.

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