ST. GEORGE – After conducting a nationwide search, Dixie State University has selected Doajo Hicks to fill the institution’s newly created position of general counsel. Hicks will begin his tenure in this position on March 1.
“All of us here at Dixie State University are excited to welcome Doajo Hicks to campus,” Dixie State University President Dr. Richard B. Williams said.
“Thanks to his professionalism, expertise and dedication to helping Dixie grow and succeed, he will be a great addition to our team.”
As the university’s chief legal officer, Hicks will work with the Utah Office of the Attorney General to provide professional counsel and advice on strategic, legal and public policy issues. He will also provide legal advice and support to the university’s Board of Trustees, administrators, and the University Compliance and Ethics offices.
“I am excited to have been selected as the university’s first general counsel,” Hicks said. “This is an exciting growth period for Dixie, and I plan to take on an integral role and assist the president with his new vision and strategic plan. I believe my background in higher education and health law is a great fit for Dixie State University, and I am enthusiastic about getting started.”
Over the span of his career, Hicks has served on leadership teams for a broad range of college-level legal services. He is particularly interested in diversity, social justice, student success, governance and stewardship.
Since 2013, Hicks has served as the deputy general counsel at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, where he managed the legal department’s administrative operations and directed legal matters relating to labor unions, employment, construction, and general litigation. Hicks advised the college’s administration on legal matters in addition to serving as the appeals officer for the college’s 60,000 students.
Prior to his appointment at Cuyahoga Community College, Hicks served as the associate general counsel and legal compliance officer at Sisters of Charity Health System and as a staff attorney at Cleveland Municipal Court, both in Cleveland. Hicks has also served as a certified officer for the Salt River Police Department in Scottsdale, Arizona, and a medical administrator for the United States Coast Guard.
As a police officer in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona, Hicks was the inaugural recipient of the Pat Tillman Courage Award in 2004. While pursuing a speeding car, Hicks was targeted for his role in fighting gang- and drug-related issues and was shot in the left arm. He identified his attacker to dispatch and, with a determination to live, drove himself to the hospital.
Currently a doctorate of education candidate at Northeastern University, Hicks has earned a juris doctorate degree from Cleveland State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in operations management from Arizona State University.
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