Dr. Fredrick Douglass Dixon
“The thrust of my existence is to elevate the whole of the black community to higher levels of academic excellence.”
A lifelong resident of Chicago, Dr. Fredrick Douglass Dixon is a second-generation educator, historian, and community advocate. He directs the University of Wyoming's Black Studies Center, the African American and Diaspora program, and works as an assistant professor in the African American and Diaspora department.
One of Dixon’s fundamental roles is to build bridges between the all-too-often divisive worlds of campus, community, and the most at-risk populations. His overarching theoretical perspective is taken from Robert Chrisman's black-scholar-activist model, which espouses that the black scholar must contribute their knowledge of African American history outside the Eurocentric cannons to enhance traditional research, teaching, service, and community engagement. The inextricable link between historical accuracy and democratic citizenship remains the foundation that frames his approach to classroom instruction. This vein of student-teacher interaction adds to the Western paradigms and theories that dominate the customary historical narrative. As his indispensable duty, he remains devoted to providing successful pathways for the most at-risk students toward access, matriculation, and graduation while interjecting the paradigm that self-improvement as the basis of community development.
To concretize his efforts, Dr. Dixon works with multiple national educational and grassroots organizations that possess a liberatory lens to prepare students to become successful in an ever-increasingly competitive global society.
David Sickey, CEO
David Sickey served as the Chief Executive Officer of Sickey Global Strategies, LLC, and is a distinguished member of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing the tribe's interests, governance, and economic development. In addition to his professional achievements, Mr. Sickey is a dedicated family man with five children and actively participates in diversity and community organizations.
Mr. Sickey's leadership in tribal governance is noteworthy. He was elected to the Coushatta Tribal Council in 2003, ascended to the position of Vice-Chairman in 2005, and was elected Tribal Chairman in 2017. His tenure has been marked by significant efforts to restructure government programs and enhance health, education, culture, welfare, elder programs, and economic growth.
In the realm of legislative and negotiation achievements, Mr. Sickey has led the enactment of key tribal ordinances, including those related to tax revenue, environmental protection, and artifact protection codes. He has also successfully negotiated amendments to the Tribal-State Gaming Compact with the Governor of Louisiana.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Sickey demonstrated exceptional crisis management skills by overseeing health services, securing federal funding, and maintaining the tribe’s business stability. Furthermore, he facilitated recovery from natural disasters through grants and funding, thereby improving tribal infrastructure and community investment.
Mr. Sickey and his wife, Kelly, are proud parents to five children: Marianna, Maxwell, Miles, Magdalene, and Meyer.
