Derek Stewart is the Tribal Art Professor at United Tribes Technical College and an online professor in the School of American & Global Studies at South Dakota State University.

Derek is a licensed K-12 art and special education teacher in North Dakota and South Dakota, and a graduate of The University of New England, where he received an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. Derek began studying the concept of effective cultural integration for improving academic achievement when starting his career at McLaughlin School District on the Standing Rock Reservation. That eventually led to a fifteen-year endeavor spent researching Lakota/ Dakota culture and innovative teaching practices.

Derek was awarded a Mellon Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship from the American Indian College Fund and has presented at the South Dakota Indian Education Summit, SDSU School of Art and Design, and TCU Faculty Research Convening with the Native American Indian College in Denver, Colorado. These experiences have inspired him to continue researching and working towards equitable educational practices.