Derek has been instructing Wilderness First Aid courses for NOLS Wilderness Medicine since 2008. He began his outdoor education career instructing for Outward Bound in 2001. After 8 seasons instructing with OB, he transitioned to instructing for Solid Rock Outdoor Ministry in Laramie, Wyoming. His seasonal instructing was secondary to his full-time career as a teacher in the Denver area teaching math and Physical Education. He is now the director and associate professor of the Outdoor Leadership program at Colorado Christian University. He loves teaching Wilderness Medicine for NOLS because the students are so hungry for learning how to help others when those unexpected events occur. When he isn't working, he can often be found climbing, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, hiking with his wife, or scooping horse poop for his daughter's horse.