Dixon earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from HSU last spring and is now a first-year graduate student majoring in economics at CSU Sacramento.
In 2009-2010, Dixon was president and chief executive officer of the California State Student Association (CSSA) and its vice chair of external affairs, 2008-2009. He was the first CSSA president under a new constitution that established the office to serve the 23-campus system.
A student at McKinleyville High School in his youth, Dixon is former chair of the Humboldt County Republican Party and a past executive committee member of the California Republican Party. He was a board member of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce and the Eureka Finance Advisory Board. He was also Humboldt County Human Rights Commissioner.
Long a local leader and activist, Dixon resumed his education at Humboldt State in 2005. He competed for three years and student-assisted for one year on the HSU debate team. He also served on an Associated Students fee committee and other student panels.
Dixon resumed his studies after owning and operating Hunter Group Media, an area advertising and public relations company whose clients ranged from the Humboldt County Fair to Wal-Mart.
The CSU board has two trustee positions reserved for current CSU students. Each serves a two-year term, with the student serving his second year having the single student vote on the board. Dixon will be the non-voting student trustee.
“I call the CSU ‘the great democratizer,’” says Dixon. “One economic study after another has shown that women, minority groups and people from lower economic echelons who get a higher education produce returns on investment sometimes double and triple those of individuals educated at private institutions. And that’s exactly who the CSU serves. It educates those who would otherwise not have the opportunity to be educated. Like myself: I’m the first member of my family on my dad’s side to earn a college degree. There are a lot of stories like mine, of people who’ve had to overcome adversity, and returning students from the workforce or difficult life circumstances who go back to school to try to better their lives. I hear one story after another like that in the CSU.”