About Our Founder

Derrick Haskins

Founder, Trellis Legacy Partners

A pastor, family-enterprise steward, and strategist who built Trellis on a simple conviction: everything a family holds is held in trust. Structure and patience are how that trust is honored.

Derrick Haskins, Founder of Trellis Legacy Partners

Biography

Derrick Haskins founded Trellis Legacy Partners to help families turn generosity into thoughtful, lasting stewardship. He brings experience in grantmaking, nonprofit governance, and strategic planning, along with seminary training and biblical counseling formation that attune him to the values and family dynamics behind every giving decision. He holds an MDiv and MBS from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves as a pastor at Wornall Road Baptist Church in Kansas City. A South Dakota native who grew up on a family farm, Derrick believes that generosity, given thoughtful structure and patient care, can bear fruit for generations.

Most families are already generous. My work is helping them see what they hold as a trust, not a possession — and give with the clarity and confidence that comes from that.

Derrick Haskins signature

Founder, Trellis Legacy Partners

Relevant Experience

Built for the work of family philanthropy

Derrick's background spans family enterprise, public strategy, nonprofit governance, and pastoral care — the same disciplines that shape thoughtful, multi-generational giving.

Philanthropy & Family Enterprise

Administrative Manager — Haskins Family, LLC

2013 – Present

Helps steward 10,000+ acres of family-owned agricultural real estate, evaluates investment opportunities, and identifies and assesses strategic philanthropic investments for the family enterprise.

Strategy, Communications & Stewardship

Communications Director — South Dakota Department of Health

2017 – 2020

Served as lead brand strategist, advised senior leadership, stewarded a $3.5M annual budget, and helped build and update the department's strategic plan.

Communications & Marketing Administrator — South Dakota Department of Health

2011 – 2017

Supervised a $1.5M community grant program, including application design, grantee selection, and reporting, and managed a multimillion-dollar portfolio of federal grants with full budget and evaluation oversight.

Nonprofit Governance & Board Leadership

Lay Elder, Board Chair & Vice-Chair — Community Bible Church

2018 – 2021

Led the board, conducted staff evaluations, ran the senior-pastor search, and recruited a consultant to guide the church's first strategic-planning process.

Board Vice-Chairman — Cross-Centered Missions

2012 – 2020

Oversaw preparation of the organization's annual Form 990 and supported donor relations and fundraising.

Deacon — Community Bible Church

2016 – 2018

Chaired the deacon board overseeing church finances and facilities, and guided the financing and construction of a 375-seat worship center.

Theological & Pastoral Formation

Elder — Wornall Road Baptist Church

2025 – Present

Serves as a non-staff pastor providing care and counsel, overseeing member-care and benevolence ministries, and discipling in groups and one-on-one.

Seminary & Biblical Counseling Training

2021 – 2025

MDiv (Biblical Theology) and MBS (Biblical Greek) from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, with Biblical Counseling Certificates from CCEF — formation that attends to mission, worldview, and family dynamics.

Education & Training

Credentials

Master of Divinity, Biblical TheologyMidwestern Baptist Theological Seminary · Kansas City, MO
2025
Master of Biblical Studies, Biblical GreekMidwestern Baptist Theological Seminary · Kansas City, MO
2025
Biblical Counseling Formation CertificateChristian Counseling & Educational Foundation · Glenside, PA
2024
Essentials of Biblical Counseling CertificateChristian Counseling & Educational Foundation · Glenside, PA
2026
Graduate Certificate, State Government LeadershipUniversity of South Dakota
2010
B.A., Business Administration / Corporate CommunicationsNorthwestern College · Orange City, IA
2006

Begin Your Legacy

Let's talk about your family's giving.

If Derrick's approach resonates, he'd welcome a conversation about what thoughtful, lasting generosity could look like for your family.

Begin the Conversation