Marcia Dyson
Marcia Dyson is a powerful reverend, astute businesswoman, and unrelenting social activist, who has dedicated her life, ministry, and career to fighting gender inequality and oppression as well as economic and political inequity at the local, national, and international levels. She is one of America’s most respected civil-social activists and is the president and CEO of M and M Dyson, LLC, an international consultant enterprise in matters of business development, marketing, political strategies, and social engagement.
A champion of women's rights around the globe for more than three decades, she is the founder and CEO of Women’s Global Initiative, a for-profit organization that works to enhance the lives of women by increasing their wealth, education, and civil participation. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright selected her to be on the Women’s Global Summit Leadership Board and Zainab Al-Suwaij, the president of the American Islamic Congress, invited her to join her in Cairo, Egypt, to work with Egyptian women on creating a modern narrative for Muslim women. Dyson co-hosted the First Ladies Global Summit in 2012 and is a member of the Middle East Peace Civic Forum—the goal of which is to create a civic participation and conversation between Israeli and Palestinians. She is also an annual participant at the Black Entertainment Television (BET)’s Leading Women Defined Summit.
Committed to helping rebuild Haiti, Dyson has worked as consultant to the Clinton Foundation on behalf of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission (IHRC) and as a volunteer with Partners in Health and Partners in Education. She is a board member of We Advance, an organization founded by Maria Bello and Alison Thompson that challenges domestic violence and other social injustices toward women in Haiti, as well as a member of Femmes en Démocratie, which aims to empower Haitian women to seek political participation.
Dyson was a contributor to Essence magazine and currently contributes to New Deal 2.0, The Grio, The Root, and The Huffington Post and has been a political commentator on MSNBC’s Martin Bashir Show.
She is a member of the Black Women's Roundtable, which acts as a liaison to the White House on behalf of women to voice their concerns; a member of Face to Face, which addresses cultural differences among women, diplomacy, and social justice for women globally; and a member of the Middle East Peace Civic Forum, the goal of which is to foster conversation between Israelis and Palestinians. She is also an executive advisor and consultant to the National Conference of Black Mayors.
Dyson was senior vice president of R.J. Dale and senior manager for Margie Korshak Inc.
She was a Presidential Scholar at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina; an executive board member of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas; and an advisor to Howard University's international outreach team and business school. Dyson is also an affiliate of Georgetown University’s Center for Social Justice, Teaching, and Research in Washington, DC, where her husband, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, is a tenured professor. Her memoir is forthcoming with St. Martin’s Press.
