Derek Birnie

Derek was the Executive Director at DNDA from April of 2007 to July 2011, when the role was assumed by Jan Glick. 

 

Derek started his community work knocking on doors and organizing neighborhoods in Tacoma with Washington Fair Share (now Washington CAN) in 1989. Over the course of his 20-year career in community organizing and leadership, he has led a string of successful community efforts, such as establishing the Montana Housing Trust Fund, and engaging thousands of community leaders in the Cascade Agenda (a wide-reaching vision and program for vibrant communities in Puget Sound). Derek graduated from The Evergreen State College and completed the Executive Masters in Public Administration at the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

 

Derek serves as the chair of the board for Washington Community Action Network Education and Research Fund, as a member of the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, and as a member of the Seattle Community Development Collaborative. 

 

Derek and his wife Suzanne have lived in West Seattle for eight years, growing their family to include twin boys 4 years old and a three-legged dog named Benji. He likes to hike up a hill when he can.

Derek on