Meet the Speakers - Bios

Derrick K. White, M.H.S.

Born in 1955, Derrick Keenan White is a native Washingtonian. He was educated by the District of Columbia Public School system, and graduated from McKinley Technical Senior High School in 1974.  Mr. White reached the rank of sergeant, serving in the United States Army from 1978 –1985, at which time he was honorably discharged. 

Mr. White has maintained significant involvement with the substance abuse field in various capacities and possesses well-developed managerial and communication skills that can be tailored to the diverse environments of substance users.  Toward serving his community most effectively, Mr. White has also developed strategies to establish and maintain positive working relationships with community-based organizations and community leaders. 

Currently, Mr. White serves as the Director of Outreach Services and Program Manager for Unity Health Care, Inc. Project Orion.  Project Orion is a mobile medical outreach unit that takes its primary medical, substance abuse and social services to the hard-to-reach populations of the District of Columbia.  Project Orion is a collaborative partnership with Unity Health Care, Inc., The Department of Health Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration (APRA) and the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs (AHPP).  With an extensive knowledge of substance abuse counseling/treatment and a uniquely humanistic approach to the provision of services to the “at risk” population, Mr. White is empowered to effect positive change daily within the medically underserved communities in the District of Columbia.  His “street savvy” and uniquely interactive approach to the provision of care, consistently enables him to touch "difficult" populations and save lives.

Mr. White currently provides a host of health prevention and education workshops, to include:  HIV/AIDS, Safe/Safer Sex, Substance Abuse, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) and Team Outreach training for various community and faith-based organizations throughout the Washington metropolitan area.

While Mr. White has successfully served his community for over twenty years through a career in the Human Services field, he has dedicated the past three years to perfecting his extraordinary techniques and honing his skills as a Human Services professional. His pursuit of excellence led him to Lincoln University in Philadelphia, PA, where he earned his Master’s Degree in Human Services with academic honors. (Pi Gamma Mu)

 

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