An educator-activist, nonprofit founder and cultural broker, Jacob Dixon is committed to advocating for equity and justice in education, health and income for children and families.

Understanding his purpose and his “why” is children, Jacob brings over 15 years interdisciplinary experience in education, nonprofit leadership, community organizing and coalition building.

Jacob currently leads as the Founder & CEO of Choice for All, a nonprofit founded with a group of parents in 2011. Choice for All’s vision is one day, every child is healthy and thrives across Long Island – regardless of zip code.

He started the nonprofit in Roosevelt, his hometown, with one program providing educational advocacy for parents of students with dis/abilities. Today, the organization has expanded with over twenty programs, services and community-based leadership initiatives focused on education, health and economic justice serving close to 500 children and families across 22 zip codes.

Under his leadership, Jacob is finalizing the development of The Hagedorn HUB, a three story, state of the art multipurpose community center in Freeport that will serve as Choice’s new headquarters on Long Island.

The 4,500 square foot facility will have a dedicated floor for human services, a co-working space for social justice nonprofit organizations, multipurpose program rooms, a financial empowerment center and a nonprofit commercial anchor.

Through this advocacy work with Choice for All, Jacob has championed regional and statewide policies and initiatives, including increasing food access for seniors aging in place, dis/abled and families who are displaced; engaged in community-based participatory research with universities, international public health research institutions and government partners, as well as supported coalition building efforts to bring state dollars for youth preventive services on Long Island.

Additionally, Jacob serves as lead as convener and center manager for the Long Island Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Childhood Education – a cross-sector collaboration of organizations working to improve quality, access, equity and delivery of Pre-K and Early Education Programs on Long Island in partnership with Child Care Council of Nassau, Child Care Council of Suffolk, Nassau BOCES, Western Suffolk BOCES, Eastern Suffolk BOCES and New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute at CUNY.

Prior to Choice for All, Jacob served as a special education teacher in Washington Heights, New York and is an alum of Teach for America as a 2008 New York City Corps Member.

Prior to teaching, Jacob was selected as the first African-American to serve as CEO/national chair of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls, Inc. – one of the largest student-run, international membership nonprofits in the country focused on student leadership development and advocacy in residence hall communities across the United States and Mexico.

As an undergraduate student leading NACURH, Jacob expanded its membership to include universities in Australia, Qatar, South Africa, Hong Kong and England, as well as designed a $500,000 higher education programming grant fund impacting over one million students worldwide.

Jacob also is a keynote speaker and presenter on diverse topics, including diversity, equity, inclusion, education, community resiliency, and transformative leadership with organizations including, Prevent Child Abuse New York, United Parent Action Leaders Network, Prosperity Now, AmeriCorps and more. Jacob was selected as a 2019 Culture of Health Leader with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and 2013 Energeia Fellow with the Academy for Regional Stewardship at Molloy College.

Jacob also serves as an adjunct professor at Bank Street College of Education.

Jacob holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts & Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University — University Park, a dual Master of Science in Childhood General & Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and currently pursuing his doctorate of Education at The Pennsylvania State University.