Derek Okubo
Senior Fellow
Derek Okubo is the Principal at Derek Okubo LLC. He is a Colorado native and was raised in Littleton, Colorado, graduating from Arapahoe High School and the University of Northern Colorado. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with double minors in communication and sociology.
Derek has worked for Big Brothers of Metropolitan Denver as the services coordinator for Denver County; the State of Colorado as a community liaison for Governor Roy Romer; and the National Civic League as the Senior Vice President. During his time with the National Civic League, Derek helped design and facilitate over 70+ planning efforts across the United States. He also published numerous articles on topics such as race and governance, sustainability, community engagement, and Civic Infrastructure (a term coined by NCL in the late 1980’s).
In July 2011, Derek was appointed Executive Director of the Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships (HRCP) by Mayor Michael B. Hancock. HRCP was founded within Denver city government in 1947 to address race and equity conditions of that time. In his role as Executive Director, Derek oversaw eight city offices and 10 advisory commissions. Due to term limits and as an appointee of Mayor Hancock, Derek completed his service with the City and County of Denver in July 2023 and is currently working on contracts through his LLC.
Derek serves on the boards of the Japan America Society of Colorado (President), Sakura Foundation (Treasurer), the Amache Alliance, and the Sand Creek Foundation Advisory Board.
