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Dr. Talisa Dixon
October 13, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Dr. Talisa Dixon
A veteran educator and longtime champion of equitable opportunities and student voice, Dr. Talisa Dixon is in her fourth year as the Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer of Columbus City Schools.
Her 25-year (and counting) career in public education began in Akron Public Schools, where she served as a social studies teacher, then assistant principal. But she is no stranger to Columbus.
CCS Leader on the Rise
Dr. Dixon spent nine years as an administrator in Columbus City Schools from 2001-2010. She served three years as an assistant principal at Brookhaven High School, then six years combined as the principal at Brookhaven and at Columbus Alternative High School.
She began her tenure as Superintendent/CEO in March 2019 after five years of leading the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District in Northeast Ohio.
Upon returning to Columbus to lead the state’s largest school district, serving nearly 50,000 students, Dr. Dixon hit the ground running, with a 100-day community engagement tour to gather feedback from a variety of community stakeholders, including students, staff, and families.
From there, she created the Department of Engagement to more meaningfully connect with our families and community partners, and the Department of Equity with the District’s first-ever Chief Equity Officer to bring Equitable Opportunities for All to CCS.
In addition, she created the Department of Transformation and Leadership and divided the District into six regions, each with an Area Superintendent, to provide an intentional focus on leadership development and guided regional support.
Dr. Dixon successfully led CCS through the global COVID-19 pandemic, making shifts from remote to hybrid to full in-person learning while implementing creative strategies to meet the needs of students and their families. She did so while still leading the important work of engaging the community and establishing priorities to create and introduce CCS’ new five-year Strategic Plan – the Power of One – and Portrait of a Graduate, outlining the community’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations for all CCS students.
She has been commended by city and education leaders for her commitment and leadership in bringing the Portrait of a Graduate to fruition and advancing her vision for Columbus City Schools.
Dr. Dixon has been and continues to be a voice of leadership throughout Central Ohio, connecting with local civic, business, and non-profit partners all for the benefit of CCS students. She has embraced the power of partnerships and has developed a plethora of meaningful relationships throughout the city, reflecting her vision of the Power of One.
One of many notable partnership endeavors, Dr. Dixon joined City leaders, Columbus State Community College (CSCC), I Know I Can, and area business leaders to launch the Columbus Promise in 2021, an initiative providing free tuition for CCS seniors to attend Columbus State and continue their education after high school.
She also partnered with the City of Columbus, The Ohio State University, and CSCC in 2021 to introduce STEAMM Rising, an initiative focused on developing the next generation of teachers and students focused on innovation and to ensure STEAMM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and medicine) talent continues to thrive in Columbus.
Dr. Dixon currently serves on the board of directors for several local organizations in Central Ohio, including I Know I Can, the Council of Great City Schools, Otterbein University, and the United Way of Central Ohio.
For the past three years, Dr. Dixon has also served as Superintendent in Residence at The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology. The fellowship program brings together Ohio superintendents from urban, rural, and suburban school districts to share knowledge with the college and develop active research agendas and shared learning that benefits school communities.
Dr. Talisa Dixon, Superintendent
Columbus City Schools
270 E. State Street
Columbus, OH 43215
[614] 365-5888
Exec. Adm. Asst. Caroline Jewell-Rogers
[380] 997-7585