Derrick is the founding Skipper of Sea Scout Ship 1959 in Annapolis. He serves as Vice Commodore of the Seafarers Yacht Club and as a board member of the Seafarers Foundation. Derrick is a member of the Board of Governors for the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Clubs Association, currently as Secretary. He also serves on the boards of the U.S. Chess Center and the Global Universal Design Commission. Professionally, Dr. Cogburn is a full professor at American University. He is the founding Executive Director of the AU Institute on Disability and Public Policy, and Faculty Co-Director of the AU Internet Governance Lab. In addition, he is Managing Member in Praxis Analytics, LLC, based in Annapolis.