With more than 40 years of transformative leadership across business ownership, program development, and corporate management—including roles with IBM, The Computer Company, and as a franchise owner, Commissioner Debra Dozier-Coulter encompasses a wealth of knowledge and delivers outcomes driven by impact and guided by empathy.   

Her professional leadership is complemented by distinguished public service. She served as a federal commissioner authorized by the U.S. Congress and appointed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, supporting work within the National Heritage Area of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. It spans across the coastal regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. She also led the first comprehensive archival survey of church records at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Currently, she serves as a community liaison for a Mellon Foundation supported grant.  

Commissioner Dozier-Coulter values education and is committed to being a lifelong learner. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate and a graduate of The Ohio State University and Voorhees University. In addition to her corporate work, she has held roles as a social worker, teacher, and licensed ordained minister. Debra’s work is grounded in the legacy of service modeled by her parents, Sandy Dozier and Minnie McCutchen Dozier. She believes that the lives and stories of everyday people like Sandy and Minnie hold the extraordinary power to guide and strengthen communities. Under Debra’s leadership, the Sandy Minnie Initiative is building pathways of opportunity, dignity, and hope for generations to come.