Profile: Derek DeHart

Meet Derek DeHart. Co-Organizer of Can't Stop Columbus.

Name: Derek DeHart

Current Job: Co-Organizer, Can't Stop Columbus

Current City: Columbus

Hometown: Marysville, OH by way of Erlanger, KY

Q: What is it that you do at Can't Stop Columbus? 
Can’t Stop Columbus is a community-wide movement that activates our city’s talents and compassion to solve real problems. We embrace courageous ideas and rapidly deliver new and innovative solutions.

We are pooling together the knowledge, time and resources of people all across the city to crowdsource and deliver needed solutions that address the challenges of COVID-19.

Q: What’s a problem that you are working to solve? 
Can't Stop Columbus is responding to myriad urgent needs that continue to evolve as the impact of the pandemic takes shape. We serve as a platform for innovators and technologists to work directly with members of our community and partner organizations to solve problems ranging from the mental health effects of social isolation to food insecurity to the digital divide impeding access to information and education.

Q: What’s a lesson you’ve learned that has helped shaped your work? 
There are so many amazing people in Columbus who are passionately invested in the well-being of our communities and neighborhoods, folks who are willing to donate tremendous amounts of mental and emotional energy to do good and make a real impact.

I was first exposed to this tremendous energy when I attended GiveBackHack in 2017, an event that literally changed my life; I was hooked and helped to organize GiveBackHack Columbus in 2018 and 2019. Since then, I've had the pleasure of learning all about the vibrant social entrepreneurial ecosystem in Columbus. That Can't Stop Columbus has emerged in response to the current crisis as a way to channel all of this incredible energy is both tremendously inspiring and a testament to our city's fortitude in the face of adversity.

Q: What’s a trend in technology or innovation that you believe doesn’t get enough attention? 
Product Management is an underrepresented discipline in Columbus across all sectors. There are a small handful of for-profit businesses that have modern, mature Product organizations and a larger handful that recognize its value and are trying hard to catch up to the capabilities of the coasts.

Product Management in social services and civic technology is almost unheard-of, however, which represents a huge opportunity given the practice's dedication to delivering observable results (i.e. measurable impact) and driving real value for the beneficiaries of a product or service. Society at large has learned a lot about delivering value since software started eating the world, but what we've learned doesn't have to be confined to the realm of for-profit websites and apps.

Q: What’s one moonshot idea that could help make Ohio a world leader in technology and innovation? 
Every person in our state needs access to the same options and pathways into technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and other opportunities. Even as we have high-growth startups that can't acquire talent fast enough, we have entire communities that are underserved by critical infrastructure necessary to ensure everyone's on an even footing when exploring professional opportunities. Not everyone in the state needs to be a technologist for Ohio to be a world leader, but everyone needs to have a high degree of optionality to become one.

Q: What’s a recent book, podcast or news story that you found interesting? 
I'm currently reading Contact, by Carl Sagan. At its core, it's about the entire human race encountering something bigger than itself and coming together to meet it head-on.

Q: What's your favorite place in Ohio? 
I love to run on the Olentangy Trail, which winds through a big chunk of northern Columbus. It's a safe, peaceful route that lets me stretch out inside my own head for a while

Q: What makes Ohio special to you?  
I've never lived outside of Ohio, but I've heard from a lot of people that there's a "special sauce" in our culture here that makes us more naturally collaborative and community-oriented. This characteristic uniquely sets us up for success in all sorts of ways and makes me hopeful that we'll better avoid the socioeconomic pitfalls of growth some other regions have experienced.

Connect with Derek on LinkedIn.