Matthew Hickson

3763 SW Durham Dr, Durham, NC 27707

(716) 830-7225 | mdhickson@gmail.com | linkedin.com/in/matthickson

SKILLS & SPECIALIZED TRAININGS

Education Technologies: GoFormative, NewsELA, Plickers, Flipgrid, Padlet, Class Dojo, Remind
Specialized Trainings
 Hill Center Literacy Leadership  American Enterprise Institute Public Policy
 Leader in Me with Muriel Summers  Understanding by Design
 Crucial Conversations  Flipped Classroom Digital Learning
 Friday Institute Technology and Personalization  Restorative Justice Schools
 Ron Clark Academy Visit  Digital Storytelling
 School Culture with Kent Peterson  Little Bites Time Management Coaching
Proficiencies: Microsoft Suite, Google Suite, iMovie, Weebly, Squarespace, Adobe Photoshop, PBIS, Public Speaking

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Hillside High School Durham, NC
Principal Resident – Durham Principal’s Leadership Academy August 2017 – Present
 Design beginning teacher trainings on technology tools, True Colors, differentiation, and strategic culture-building
 Collaborate with and supervise the team of Hornet Academy (ninth grade) teachers in supporting students, leading
to the highest “on-track for promotion” rate in over five years for the ninth grade cohort
 Engage district leaders and school stakeholders to develop a logic model around restorative justice programming
 Create instructional support materials to build higher order thinking and engagement in the classroom
 Design 4+ Weebly & iMovie communications for our ninth grade and beginning teacher teams

Bull City Schools United Durham, NC

Founder & Director October 2018 – Present
 Train 800+ teachers, administrators, and support staff in Durham Public Schools on equity-based mindsets
 Coordinate a campaign to make Durham Public Schools the first school district in the southeast to adopt “#Day1”
 Develop a Youth Leadership Council consisting of middle and high school representatives from six Durham schools
 Recruit a board of advisors consisting of school board members, county commissioners, and local non-profit
leaders

Neal Middle School Durham, NC

Teacher and Teach for America Corps Member June 2014 – May 2017
 Recognized as the 2016 Durham Public Schools Beginning Teacher of the Year
 Selected from a highly competitive pool to the National Teach for America teacher corps
 Selected to lead the Durham Public Schools eighth grade science teacher academy
 Selected as a Naturculture Fellow to develop a community garden at Neal Middle School
 Founded the Neal Middle School Community Engagement Team
 Served on School Improvement Team, Leadership Learning Network (L2N) member, and PBIS team
 Developed and led school and district trainings on project-based learning, technology-aided formative assessment
strategies, cultural responsiveness for LGBT students, and student engagement in science

Student U Durham, NC
Various Positions June 2013 – August 2016
 Roles included Summer Teacher, Head Afterschool Instructor, High School Advocate, Afterschool Club Instructor,
Reading Specialist, Grade Level Administrator, and Mentor Teacher
 As Reading Specialist, assessed the impact of a literacy programming
 As Mentor Teacher, provided daily feedback and professional development to a group of twelve teachers
 As Grade Level Administrator, coordinated all family communications, student assessment, co-curricular
programming, teacher expectations, and student positive behavior intervention for the eighth grade
 Selected to Student U Board of Directors

Stoneacre Partners Inc. Charlotte, NC

Event Marketing Team – NASCAR Member’s Club February 2010 – November 2012
 Led a team of marketing representatives running promotional events at 35 NASCAR races around the country
 Developed events and fan experiences in fast-paced and collaborative settings
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VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Student U Durham, NC
Board of Directors August 2017 – Present
 Lead W.G. Pearson taskforce to develop a strategic plan for the use of Student U’s new community center
 Vet financial statements, approve major initiatives, and annually evaluate the executive director

Teach for America Durham, NC

Social Innovation Fellowship April 2016 – August 2016
 Selected from a competitive pool of Teach for America alumni to participate in a leadership cohort aimed at
designing solutions to pressing educational equity problems in North Carolina
 Developed Bull City Schools United, a project to build the capacity of Durham Public Schools stakeholders to
combat race-, gender-, sexual orientation-, and class-based discrimination

Southern Vision Alliance Durham, NC

Organizing Director – North Carolina Student Power Union February 2012 – June 2014
 Co-founded and directed youth-led grassroots advocacy on college affordability at thirteen UNC system campuses
 Raised over $30,000 and recruited 250+ student/youth members to develop eight campus chapters
 Planned and implemented a state-wide conference on higher education affordability, attracting 200+ attendees

Lawana Mayfield for City Council Campaign Charlotte, NC

Campaign Volunteer May 2011 – August 2011
 Canvassed and phone banked for the first black lesbian woman to serve on Charlotte City Council
 Developed relationships with local and national policy leaders resulting in donations and support for the campaign

PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
Equitable Discipline & Social Justice Mindsets for Administrators March 2018
NC State Friday Institute
A Story of Success: Bull City Schools United October 2017
Peaceful Schools NC Conference
Equity Practices & Social Justice Mindsets for Teachers September 2017
Durham Public Schools BT Training
Technology Tools for Higher Order Thinking August 2017
Durham Public Schools Science Department
Learning Focused Lessons for Student Engagement Spring 2016
Durham Public Schools Science Department
Change and Community Engagement in Schools November 2015
Safe Schools North Carolina Conference
Formative Assessment Technologies October 2015
Neal Middle School Eagle Academy
Bored Students? Try Project Based Learning! April 2015
Durham Public Schools Out of the Box

EDUCATION
North Carolina State University – Durham Principal’s Leadership Academy Raleigh, NC
Master of School Administration (GPA: 4.00/4.00) May 2017
Received a full scholarship to the NC State University Master of School Administration through the Durham Principal
Leadership Academy. NC State leadership academies won the top principal preparation program in the United States.
The program is one of only five academies to win this distinction.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Kenan-Flagler Business School Chapel Hill, NC
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (GPA: 3.71/4.00) May 2013
Minor in Social and Economic Justice
Honors: Order of the Golden Fleece, President of Students for a Democratic Society, Dean’s List (eight semesters)
Kenan-Flagler Business School is ranked as the No. 5 undergraduate business program in the nation amongst public
universities and the No. 7 overall undergraduate business school.