Ms. Dicks Maxwell is the current President of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP; the first female president in its history. Before this, she served as President of the New Hanover County NAACP and District Director for the Walter B. White District of North Carolina NAACP. The District covers Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender County. The North Carolina NAACP recognized her as District Director of the Year in 2015. Deborah is a retired Public Health Social Worker. Public health has been her passion and career for the past 25 years. The North Carolina Public Health Association named her Public Health Social Worker of the Year in 2009. One of her primary area of concern is voter education and engagement along with the environment since she lives on the NC coast. She is also an Army veteran, having served in Operation Desert Storm and is a past commander of the Wilmington National Association of Black Veterans. Deborah has a Bachelor’s degree in Administration and Management from LaRoche University and a Masters in Social Work from East Carolina University.