PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WELCOA Faculty Member

M.S., in Community & Organizational Leadership, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point

B.A., Sociology/Anthropology and Political Science, Knox College.

Derek’s career path started at the National Wellness Institute and the National Wellness Conference. Having studied culture, and been an advocate of health and wellness as an athlete and coach, he worked with industry leaders and learned how wellness cultures can be grown. This resonated with his love for how people interact in their environments and ultimately, how that impacts their health and longevity.  

Each of these steps has played significant roles in Derek’s development.

DEMONSTRATED SUCCESS

With a keen eye for systems, cultures and enhancing capacity, Derek has championed efforts for wellness to be woven into the fabric of worksites, homes, and individuals.

At Ministry, Derek created the Total Lifestyle Care model to integrate all Employer Solutions services. This team-focused model represented a paradigm shift in service sales and deployment and ensures wellness will be part of the healthcare plan at each Ministry represented corporation.  Derek also led the plan for all internal reporting systems to be aligned so that any and all providers are able to communicate effectively with each other in client reporting. This has positively impacted service integration at 26 on-site provider placements/clinics, and over 120 companies with programs and services in place.

As an innovator, recognizing a client with high weight and injury issues, Derek created a wellness program (Functional Integrated Training), utilizing a team representing sports medicine/industrial rehab, a registered dietician, and health educators. The team used functional movement assessment, education and consultations, site visits, and screenings to increase health, wellness and productivity. Participants decreased body fat by nearly 4% over a 4 month period, and have improved all other metrics.  

As a leader, Derek has helped grow the family of wellness professionals in Central Wisconsin. The Central Wisconsin Worksite Wellness Network has become the established education and information dissemination body for wellness professionals in Central Wisconsin. Through his work with the group, Derek also created and published the Central Wisconsin Worksite Wellness Resource Directory, including promoting WELCOA’s 7 C’s and the Well Workplace awards – a growing need for Central Wisconsin companies to participate and be recognized. Attendance grew from a handful of people to over 50 professionals at each quarterly meeting.

Looking ahead to building opportunities for professional development, during his time at the National Wellness Institute, Derek brought leaders to Stevens Point for the annual National Wellness Conference to present their ideas to thousands of wellness professionals. He also championed the efforts to build the Legacy Talk Series, the Circle of Leadership, the Halburt Dunn Wellness Award, and the Certified Wellness Practitioner program, along with advancing the certificate program offerings.

Building community capacity has been an important goal for Derek. Through his community work, he has been important to building a healthier Central Wisconsin. He helped create the Take a Step 5K run/walk to raise funds for the local family crisis center; he was one of the founding members of Walk Wisconsin, a non-competitive walking marathon that is the largest event of its kind in Wisconsin. He also led the Fit-tastic youth health and wellness program in Wood County schools (2-4th grades), and is currently directing the Ministry Total Lifestyle Conference, to enhance education and resources to encourage better health through obesity prevention, mental health awareness and recognition of oral health issues. These programs have impacted (or will impact the lives of thousands of people).

LEADERSHIP

Derek possesses a unique ability to understand cultural issues, creatively problem-solve and motivate others. He handles challenges and adversity with optimistic approach that creates confidence in the path forward. In his personal life he chooses to take on challenges like ultramarathons, so he can keep testing his own belief in what is possible.

Through each professional step, Derek has climbed to leadership positions and has opened up doors for others. At the National Wellness Institute, Derek expanded professional certification programs and advanced education in worksite wellness and other areas. His collaborations with industry leaders helped usher in a new era of professional growth opportunities through the National Wellness Institute.

Each wellness professional has the opportunity to build upon what has been tried before, Derek would offer to new professionals to always be willing to learn more and think beyond where we’ve been.

INNOVATION

Derek approaches wellness with the mind of an anthropologist and coach. He brings a unique vision to his clients and strives to move wellness forward. He has a great appreciation for how people see their paths in the webs of their lives.

Wellness has a heap of campaigns, challenges, programs that made sense on paper, but failed to resonate with clients. Derek’s Total Lifestyle Care model ensures the proper steps are taken to address several key concepts before determining programming, including executive buy-in, employee voices being recognized, cultural norms, assessment of diverse data points – to promote a team-focused approach and integrated service model.

At the City of Stevens Point, there is a new normal where wellness is culturally central. The program has participation rates in some departments at 96%, when voluntary, and has seen major risk factors diminish, like blood pressure, weight and most significantly, body fat %.

COMPELLING VISION

Wellness must be woven into the webs of significance in our lives. This is our challenge.

This is complicated where wellness is a silo. Where it is the norm we have our healthiest environments. We must make wellness part of the normal business operations and it must have a role in organizational sense making – with the goal being “company X is the healthiest place to work.” Healthy cultures are not accidental. They are nurtured, grown and integrated, multi-faceted and individually empowering.  Make them grow.

We also have a duty to make clients feel their wellness is their own. We must harness the coachable moment. Most of us work with clients whose wellness is a “program” they do, not always the way they live. When we tap into their most basic human needs and desires, and deliver chances to improve those through wellness, we have made their life better.