Derek Lumpkins

Derek Lumpkins works and lives at the intersection of intentional community engagement and meaningful social change. Derek, a Boston native, draws upon over a decade of experience supporting the growth and visibility of communities of color in the non-profit and higher education sectors. He led the transformation and growth of a community-based organization in Roxbury, one of Boston’s largest communities of color, from its focus on Colonial American history to its role as an advocate for the neighborhood's contemporary artistic, cultural, and economic development. Following that, he led initiatives in the higher education and banking sectors to use their institutional assets to develop new relationships in host communities and under-banked communities, respectively, and developed new pathways for community access to resources and information.

Derek launched his consulting practice, Re|Fresh Strategies, after the murder of George Floyd, the national and worldwide protests for Black lives, and the release of corporate America’s vague and tepid statements in support of the movement. With insight from his years of experience, he recognized that 20th-century performative approaches to community engagement and allyship were being applied to more complex 21st-century situations. With an eye on sustainable relationships and fresh perspectives, Derek works with clients to design progressive, creative, ethical, and socially-just solutions that push at the boundaries of the status quo to create meaningful change. He is driven and informed by an ongoing desire to achieve social and racial equity through continuous exploration of blindspots caused by media narratives, historic inequality, perception gaps, and personal biases.

Additionally, Derek is devoted to evolving community engagement initiatives in Boston through his board positions with the UU Urban Ministry and Historic Boston Inc. He has spoken about community engagement at the International Town Gown Association, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Northeastern University, and other universities in the Boston area, as well as served as a member of both Mayor Walsh’s Arts and Culture Transition Team and Governor Patrick’s Public Art Task Force.

Derek is a graduate from Swarthmore College and SOAS University of London, alum of LeadBoston, and former participant in racial justice workshops with the Interaction Institute for Social Change. He also has a love of travel that has taken him around the world, literally, although he enjoys exploring and navigating both the inner self and the wider world equally.