Sheila Dixon
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Sheila Dixon is the City Council President of Baltimore, MD.
[edit] Biography
Sheila Dixon was born and raised in the Ashburton neighborhood of West Baltimore. Her father, Phillip Dixon, Sr. was a successful car salesman, and her mother, Winona Dixon, was a community activist, active in her church, political causes, and member of numerous local community groups.
Dixon is a lifelong city resident. She is a graduate of the Baltimore City public school system and holds a bachelor's degree from Towson University and a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is a former elementary school teacher and adult education instructor with the Head Start program. She worked for 17 years as an international trade specialist with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. In 1986 She was elected to the Baltimore City State Central Committee representing the 40th Legislative District. In 1987, she won a seat on the Baltimore City Council representing the 4th Council District, where she served the citizens of Baltimore for 12 years. She became the city council president in 1999, the first African-American woman ever elected to this position.
Among her numerous awards and honors, Sheila has been named one of Baltimore's Most Influential Leaders by the Baltimore Business Journal and was recently admitted to The Daily Record's Circle of Excellence for her third selection as one of "Maryland's Top 100 Women." An active member of Bethel A.M.E. Church and former trustee, President Dixon is grounded by her faith and continues to serve as a member of the Stewardess Board. She serves on numerous boards, including the Institute of Human Virology, the Transplant Resource Center, the Urban Health Initiative, the Baltimore Public Markets Corporation, the Living Classrooms Foundation, and the Walters Art Gallery.
She is also the aunt of professional basketball player, Juan Dixon.
[edit] Mayor of Baltimore
As of January 2007, she will be serving the year as Mayor of Baltimore, taking over from Martin O'Malley, who was elected Governor of Maryland on November 7, 2006. She has stated that at the end of 2007 she plans to run for mayor. If elected, she would become the first elected female mayor of Baltimore.
