Forward Arkansas Adds Former Pine Bluff Teacher as Senior Manager of Policy and Engagement

Forward Arkansas announced today the expansion of its statewide team with the addition of Imaobong (Ima) Dixon as its senior manager of policy and engagement.

In her new role, Dixon is responsible for coordinating, overseeing and informing Forward Arkansas’s near and long-term policy priorities, establishing Forward as a valued partner and strategic leader among key partners and building broad stakeholder support for strategic priorities.

"Ima brings extensive policy, education and community development experience to our team,” said Ben Kutylo, executive director of Forward Arkansas. "Her diverse experience, including many years in the classroom, affords her a unique perspective on ways to engage the communities we serve and will be paramount in creating strategies to support schools and inform effective policy change.”

Before joining Forward Arkansas, Dixon worked as a special projects coordinator in the Mayor’s Office for the City of Pine Bluff. Prior to that, she worked for the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Career and Technical Education and the Arkansas Innovation Hub. She began her career as an English Language Arts (ELA) teacher with Teach for America at Pine Bluff High School, then went on to teach ELA at Belair Academy Alternative School, where she was named Teacher of the Year for the 2018-2019 academic year. Dixon graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor's in social welfare, and double minors in public policy and education. She earned her master’s in education from John Hopkins University.