Born and raised in Long Beach, California, Derek grew up on the streets and the shores of Southern California surfing, skating, and playing highly competitive soccer. Derek’s athletic successes brought him to the United States Naval Academy where he studied Quantitative Economics and played soccer for the Midshipmen, earning numerous accolades along the way. He graduated & commissioned in 2016 and has since been inducted into the Naval Academy Athletics Hall of Fame.

Derek spent the next four years serving in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer in San Diego, a city that remains deeply cherished by him and his family. He led hundreds of Sailors and managed multiple shipboard readiness programs and the maintenance of highly integrated warfighting equipment. He went on to study for his Financial Management MBA at the Naval Postgraduate School in 2021. 

Since making his exit from the Service in 2022, Derek has attained his Series 7, 24, 63 & 66 securities licenses while working as a Principal and Registered Representative for Emerson Equity LLC. He currently resides in Orange County with his wife, Valerie, and their son (with another boy due in March 2024).

Derek is joining Aloha Wealth Partners as a servicing professional where he’ll be an alternative investment specialist focusing on private placements, Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs), Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds (QOZFs), venture capital, debt funds and more. If you have any questions, would like to talk to Derek about his Naval experience, or just chat about the English Premier League or MLS, feel free to give him a call or drop him an email.

Mahalo,