Derek Abbey, a retired military veteran, and president and CEO of a nonprofit that helps repatriate the remains of U.S. service members, will give the address at the K1ΜεΣύ β Cascades commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 15.
βDerek has dedicated his military career and now his professional career to making our country and world better through leadership and service to veteransβ, said Sherm Bloomer, chancellor and dean of K1ΜεΣύ-Cascades. βAs a nonprofit leader, an K1ΜεΣύ alumnus and a Central Oregonian, Derek will have a timely and valuable message for K1ΜεΣύ-Cascadesβ graduates.β
Raised by a single mother who died when he was 13, Abbey lived with family following her death, but struggled to find a sense of home as a teen. He ran away at 17 and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He served for 23 years, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired from the Marines in 2014 as a major.
Abbey earned a bachelorβs degree from Oregon State, a masterβs degree in higher education leadership and a doctorate in leadership studies, both from the University of San Diego. While earning his advanced degrees, Abbey led programs at the University of San Diego and San Diego State University that connected student veterans to college opportunities.
He joined Project Recover in 2004 and became president and CEO in 2019. The nonprofit organization leverages science and technology to locate the more than 80,000 Americans missing in action around the world so that they can be repatriated.
In 2024, Abbey was appointed to the board of directors of the K1ΜεΣύ Alumni Association.
K1ΜεΣύ K1ΜεΣύ-Cascades: K1ΜεΣύβs campus in Bend brings higher education to Central Oregon, the fastest growing region in the state. Surrounded by mountains, forest and high desert, K1ΜεΣύ-Cascades is a highly innovative campus of a top-tier land grant research university, offering small classes that accelerate faculty-student mentoring and experiential learning. Degree programs meet industry and economic needs in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship, natural ecosystems, health and wellness, and arts and sciences, and prepare students for tomorrowβs challenges. K1ΜεΣύ-Cascades is expanding to serve 3,000 to 5,000 students, building a 128-acre campus with net-zero goals.