New Degrees of Change CEO Marquise Dixon Talks Representation in Higher Education and the Nonprofit World

by Amanda Ong

Starting in July, Marquise Dixon will step into the role of CEO for Degrees of Change, a nonprofit organization based out of Tacoma aimed at helping young people from underserved communities succeed in high school and beyond. Dixon will replace current CEO and Founder Tim Herron.

While Dixon has worked at Degrees of Change since 2019, his journey began elsewhere. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he began community development work as a youth outreach specialist at Urban Ventures, a nonprofit organization that partnered with local juvenile detention centers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"From there, I just had this inkling or feeling that our students will age out of our program," Dixon said in an interview with the South Seattle Emerald. "And … we didn't have any other ways to support them outside of that."

He expressed his thoughts to his boss, and in 2014, they launched Act Six, a leadership development and college scholarship program in South Minneapolis. For this, they partnered with Degrees of Change, and Dixon eventually moved to Tacoma in 2019 to become the Act Six national director and later chief programs officer.

"I just knew that Degrees of Change was an organization that aligned with my passion for human development in a nonprofit space," Dixon said. "But also [shared] this desire to see higher education do better when it comes to supporting students of color, first-gen, low income students — students that looked like me."

Dixon says that during his first few years at Degrees of Change, he saw initial challenges in the pandemic, yet Degrees of Change has managed to maintain an 81% satisfaction rate among students it worked with during the pandemic. Dixon largely attributes this to the team's sense of community, and says that having been a youth worker himself, he felt better able to relate to students authentically and understand their position on campuses that aren't made for them.

"We have to be able to include [students] in the conversation," Dixon said. "We need to be able to center their voices, the leadership styles or perspectives and challenges, because what our communities desperately need is for their voices to be heard, and received, and acted upon. … The students that represent Degrees of Change, we have a responsibility to hold on to their stories. But [as CEO,] I'm in a position where we're able to share those stories, to better connect people to our work."

Dixon comes into the role of CEO with energy, but also awareness of his position as a Black CEO. He says that while he grew up as part of the marginalized, he now must work with the margin makers — the people who have the money to help fund and determine Degrees of Change's scale of impact. He also knows the responsibility he carries as a Black CEO replacing an outgoing white CEO. Before stepping into the role, a colleague shared a 2019 article with him that reported that 87% of CEOs were white men.

"We had a fundraiser, and the amount of people that pulled me aside and just said, 'Proud of you,' 'We got another one,' 'We need more,' seeing the tears from different people getting emotional [because of] having someone that looks like them step into a position of leadership," Dixon said. "A good friend of mine often says, 'Last to get hired is the first to get fired,' right? You think about the hard work you put in, the credentials you acquire, and then when you do have an opportunity to lead, the life span of the opportunity is significantly shorter."

While these responsibilities, statistics, and emotions can be overwhelming, Dixon is in a wonderful place coming into the role, owing in large part to his mentor, friend, colleague, and predecessor Tim Herron and the team at Degrees of Change. Continuing to surround himself with amazing people is sure to guide his smooth transition and his term thereafter. And most of all, Dixon is excited for the years ahead and the impact Degrees of Change will continue to have on underserved students.

"[One of my colleagues] was the first one to tell me, 'Marquise, you're a Black CEO, with all the weight that's carried with it,'" Dixon said. "So why does it matter? Because I believe that I could have been one of our program's participants. And there was no Degrees of Change in Atlanta, Georgia. And so I'm extremely grateful for that. The better we do this work, we represent so many students across the country."

📸 Featured Image: Marquise Dixon speaking at Degrees of Change's spring fundraiser, "Celebrate Emerging Leaders." (Photo: Sharon Ho Chang)