Derek can train YOU to become a certified Infant Aquatics Instructor.

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About Derek

The son of Infant Aquatics® founder Judy Heumann, Derek is not only an accomplished instructor but might also be the inspiration for the company’s founding. At the very least, he was an early product of it, as his Texas home had a backyard pool, which made it essential for Judy to teach him survival skills before he could walk. He was jumping off high dives at the age of 2 and became a competitive year-round swimmer after the family moved to Colorado when he was 5. 

Growing up, swimming remained a central focus of Derek’s life, as his two younger siblings would join him on the Boulder Swim team, where much of his extracurricular time was spent. Derek spent his summers coaching and teaching stroke development to Judy’s older swimmers while completing his undergraduate studies and swimming for Washington University in St. Louis.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration (in addition to earning years of engineering credits), Derek redirected his graduate studies to the University of Denver’s College of Law, graduating in 2009. Derek assisted Judy in her quest to find the building that would become the home of SWIM•FLOAT•SWIM! He officially trained as a certified Infant Aquatic Survival Instructor under Judy in 2011. However, due to other pursuits, he did not become an active instructor. After exploring various professional and personal avenues, including the start-up world and spending a year abroad, Derek returned to Colorado and rejoined SWIM•FLOAT•SWIM! in 2017. He assisted with the technical side of the business, including administrative and scheduling systems, and made his way back into the pool as a stroke instructor. Derek retrained under Judy in 2020—just in time for the pandemic to disrupt his first session.

Despite all the obstacles, Derek has remained a dependable fixture for Judy and Infant Aquatics. He teaches new students, group classes, and strokes; substitutes when called upon; and contributes to retreats, trainings, administration, and whatever else might be asked of him. Derek definitely falls into the jack of all trades category.