Derek Stanford has dedicated his life to helping others and making his community a better place.

Derek grew up in Virginia and California, and he moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1993. He has been deeply involved in his community, volunteering at his local food bank and becoming a Fellow in the Institute for a Democratic Future (IDF). A lifelong Democrat, Derek is a PCO and has been an active member of the 1st District Democrats, as well as the 43rd District Democrats when he resided in Seattle.

Since 2003, Derek, who received his PhD from the University of Washington, has served on the Steering Committee of SEAMEC, a group which advocates for LGBT equality. He has been a Board Member at Washington Public Campaigns, and he is currently the Membership Chair for the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers (WashTech, local 37083 of the Communication Workers of America).

Professionally, Derek currently serves as the Director of Analytics at a local telecommunications firm. He has served in similar capacities at other companies, as well as spending four years running his own small business as a statistical consultant.

Derek and his wife Cheryl live in Bothell with their daughter Gabrielle.