Derek Baerenwald

Derek and his wife Alesha live in Edina, MN with their three children, Gabriel, Micah & Grace. After growing up in Illinois, Derek completed his undergraduate degrees in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry at the University of Iowa, where he met and married Alesha. They moved to Minnesota shortly after graduating, where Derek began a career with a Twin Cities based corporation.

Derek spent 9 years in Research & Development in the areas of Engineering (Packaging, Field Testing, and Process Development) and Project and Change Management through the company's Enterprise Excellence organization. He was certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and continued to hone his skills in leadership and communication through Toastmasters International where he became a Distinguished Toastmaster.

Throughout this time, Derek and his wife attended and served with their local church, supporting a campus launch in Downtown Minneapolis, completing a Masters in Theological Studies from the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, and ultimately joining staff as a Campus Pastor in Edina. After a season of serving at the campus, Derek welcomed a new campus pastor before joining staff with Search Twin Cities. You can meet Derek at local coffee shops and roasteries (he roasts coffee at home as well), and is happy to connect with others over a game of hockey, golf, or tennis.