John C. Derrick was born in Columbia, South Carolina on November 9, 1980 and has since resided in Irmo, South Carolina.  Derrick is a 23 year old senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in Environmental & Physical Geography along with significant course training in the GIS Techniques.  Along with his current degree he should earn by August 2004, he has a thorough background in both Civil/Environmental and Computer Engineering. Graduate school remains a possibility, likely with a focus on Paleoclimatology, but it is unlikely he would enroll before the Spring 2005 semester.  Derrick's grade point average (GPA) in Geography has remained consistently at the 3.5 level or above.

Currently Derrick works for the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina as webmaster of design and applications for the department intranet.  He has been commended for his work and achievements at the Department by many members of higher management including the Chief Executive herself.

Derrick also is the founder and now Chairman of PROneTworks Technology, a support and news site launched in 2001.  PROneTworks has grown from a small personal site to a full blown community now with over 30,000 registered users along with some 12 million impressions monthly.  Originally PROneTworks was supported by a small staff of 1-3 volunteers who also supported the site financially.  Today PROneTworks has a staff of over 40 volunteers with various job duties and responsibilities and is supported largely in part by publisher advertising.  PROneTworks looks to have a bright future as it continues to grow.

Derrick's achievements include being an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, a recipient of several webmaster awards, a member of the National Beta Club, and a two time member of Who's Who while in High School.

Derrick is an avid traveler and has been to all 50 states in the United States of America; many on multiple occasions.  Derrick is most enthusiastic about the state of Hawaii and is very passionate about both its culture and people.  He has built several websites and developed many pages on various subjects in Hawaii ranging from vacation travel to the language and culture.  Derrick hopes to work in the Hawaiian islands, likely on the Big Island around Hilo in the coming years.  Derrick speaks both English and Spanish along with broken Hawaiian.

Derrick's hobbies include reading, computing, photography, graphic design, traveling, psychology, philosophy, Hawaiian culture, huna, and rock/alternative music.