Railroad Operations

Derek has dedicated 20 years to Union Pacific Railroad, building a distinguished career in train dispatching and operational support. He began as a train dispatcher, managing operations in various California locations such as Santa Barbara, San Jose, Oakland, Stockton, and Fresno, as well as regions spanning Nebraska and Iowa from North Platte to Chicago. After five years in dispatching, Derek transitioned to the operations support team, focusing on the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, where he contributed to technological advancements in dispatching. Within the operations support team, Derek worked in multiple roles, including CAD Manager and Rules Manager. In 2017, he was promoted to Director of Dispatch Systems and Support, where he oversees the integration between the dispatching center and technology teams to enhance system efficiency. A significant achievement in this role was leading the transition from the 1980 CAD dispatcher system to the modern CADX dispatch system, a project completed in 2021 after 18 months of dedicated work.

Outside of his professional career, Derek is passionate about golfing and watching Nebraska Huskers football. He has had the privilege of attending the Masters Tournament twice. He enjoys spending time at the lake or up in the mountains skiing. Otherwise, just watching his two daughters play volleyball and basketball, as well as riding horses.