Derrell is the Executive Director for NYCAN: The New York Campaign for Achievement Now. Previously, Derrell served as the Executive Director of Better Education for Kids (B4K), a 501c4 organization supporting common-sense bipartisan education reforms in New Jersey. He is a trustee of We Can Do Better NJ, which supports school choice and a wide range of systemic reforms to improve education for all students, and Success Academy Public Charter Schools. Derrell also served on Gov. Chris Christie’s Educator Effectiveness Task Force, which gave recommendations for a new statewide evaluation system for teachers and leaders. In 2011, Derrell was named to NBC’s “The Grio 100: History Makers in the Making,” and also received the Tri-County Scholarship Fund’s “Making a Difference Award.” In 2012, he was named an “Ed Reform Champion Under 40” by the Black Alliance for Educational Options. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Derrell attended the St. Paul’s School For Boys and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.A. in English and Creative Writing.