Derrick Knutson is a 2008 graduate of the University of River Falls-Wisconsin with a journalism degree and an international studies minor. He's worked as a reporter, columnist, photographer and editor for a weekly newspaper in the Twin Cites metro area for the past three years.

Knutson is a Minnesota native, having grown up in the Forest Lake area, and has family in cities around the metro. He and his girlfriend, Jill, enjoy bike riding, cross-country skiing and various other activities.