Matthew Derr

Under Derr's leadership, Sterling, which is among the smallest liberal arts colleges in the United States, has experienced a period of rapid growth in student enrollment and philanthropic support, through the largest successful fundraising campaign in institutional history.[3] Sterling expanded its emphasis on global field studies in 2016 with support from the Endeavor Foundation[4] and launched the Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems,[5] including, in 2015, a continuing education program named the School of the New American Farmstead.[6]

The Sterling mission is focused on environmental stewardship.[7] During Derr's tenure, the college received national attention for becoming one of the first institutions in the U.S. to divest from fossil fuels.[8] Sterling has been recognized for its sustainability initiatives by Sierra Magazine[9] and earned a STARS Gold Rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.[10] The Real Food Challenge ranked Sterling the number one college in the U.S. for two consecutive years, 2015 and 2016, for its commitment to serving locally sourced sustainably produced food.[11]

Prior to Sterling, Derr served as an alumni leader and ultimately Interim President[12] of his alma mater, Antioch College, where he is credited with successfully leading the effort to revive the institution.[13]

For more than a decade Derr was affiliated with the Walnut Hill School for the Arts where he served in a number of roles, including Acting and Associate Headmaster. He has also served in senior admission roles at Earlham College and Connecticut College.

Derr was born in Flint, Michigan. His grandparents and parents were autoworkers. He attended public schools before earning a Bachelor of Arts in History from Antioch College and Masters of Social Work in Community Organizing and Social Systems from the University of Michigan. He has also studied at the George Heyman Center for Philanthropy at New York University.[14]

President Derr is one of a handful of openly gay college presidents in the United States.[15] He currently lives in Craftsbury Common, Vermont with his partner Julian Sharp, who is also an alumnus of Antioch College. Sharp is a retired trustee of the Unitarian Universalist Association and presently Director of Community Outreach and a member of the teaching faculty at Sterling College.