Derek has been a licensed investment advisor, and a fiduciary, since 2011. He began his financial services career with Edward Jones and later moved to SunTrust Investment Services. Those experiences gave him the expertise and confidence needed to start his own firm, Layman Financial, in December of 2015. Derek earned a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Concordia University Irvine and holds the following registrations: Series 7, Series 66, and Virginia Life, Annuity, and Health.

Derek has been married to his wife, Heather, since December 2014. Collectively, they have six children and three grandchildren. Derek and Heather enjoy traveling, hiking, kayaking, and spending time with family and friends. Derek is a lifelong resident of Franklin County while Heather spent most of her life in Henry County until meeting Derek in 2013. Heather has been a hairdresser since 1992 and owns her own salon, root40. Derek and Heather share commercial office space in Rocky Mount they purchased in 2021.