Shanique's Experience: Dr. Shanique McCallister Nixon (she/her) is an educational equity expert and native Nashvillian. She has a decade of leadership experience spanning nonprofit, government, and education sectors.
Previously, Dr. Nixon served in statewide grant management and reviews in conjunction with the USDA at the Tennessee Department of Human Services. This initiative involved overseeing over $100 M in grant funding annually. Moreover, she trained staff and applicants on federal program guidelines across the state. She began her career in education as a classroom teacher in the public school system. She also led reading programs for In Full Motion ACT prep and Backfield in Motion's after school program for middle school males in Nashville. Additionally, she coached basketball and football teams for Backfield in Motion becoming the first, and to date, the only female coach for the program.
After teaching high school English and working in government, Dr. Nixon decided to pursue and complete a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership along with a certificate in Public Policy with a focus on educational equity initiatives on a national level. While completing this program, she began conducting research with Tennessee State University. Since then, Shanique has been commissioned by the Education Trust to conduct research and produce articles on current issues, such as, the defunding and underfunding of Tennessee State University. Additionally, she spent the prior three years on a research team reviewing the impact of mentoring on underrepresented students in STEM across ten colleges and universities in Tennessee. |
