Dorothea (Dee) Dawkins-Haigler dedicates her life to public service through her role as an ordained minister, college educator, community activist, and political strategist. Dee served 8 1/2 years as a Georgia State Representative from June 2008 – January 2017. During her tenure in the Georgia General Assembly she served as Chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and Chair of the Georgia Women’s Legislative Caucus. Dee served as the Chaplain for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) and the National Director of Regional Coordinators for the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women).
Dee’s served as a State Director for both Women in Government and the National Council of State Legislators Women’s Network. She is a sought after media personality and is a regular commentator on FOX News, ABC, CBS, .NBC and RT America. She is the host author of the bestselling book, “A Message to Our Daughters: Turning Trials into Triumphs.” Dee is the Owner of DDH & Associates and Executive Director of TIME 1000—an organization dedicated to helping 1000 women and minorities get elected to public office or receive board appointments. She has trained women from Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo on gender issues, health, entrepreneurship, education and running for office. Additionally,
Dee is the Founder/President of the Organization of World Leaders (OWL) a consortium of leaders in Government, Law, Business, Health, Finance & Politics dedicated to working together to build alliances for economic sustainability and growth in Africa and the diaspora. She is also the Chief Ambassador to the United Nations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the Center of Economic Leadership and Development (CELD) in New York, Geneva and Vienna .She is the Founder of One Georgia which is dedicated to bringing together clergy, elected officials, social and civic groups, civil rights organizations and fraternities and sororities for the collective purpose of promoting issues salient to the African American and Hispanic communities with a special emphasis on economic justice and parity. In addition to the above work, Dee is the Organizer of the Minority Cannibas Coalition (MCC), an organization dedicated to promoting equity and access in the cannabis industry.
Dee is an advocate for children and youth with an emphasis placed on those who have been impacted by poverty. This work led her to be appointed to the Juvenile Parole Board for the State of South Carolina where she was the youngest and first African American to serve as Chair of the board. She uses her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (South Carolina State University), Master of Public Administration (Kentucky State University) Master of Divinity (Turner Theological Seminary@ the Interdenominational Theological Center) degrees to bridge the political, public, and religious communities and help them find solutions to eradicating racism, sexism, and classism. She studied in Political Science at Clark Atlanta University Ph.D (ABD). She has Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters (South Carolina State University), Ministry Degree (American Bible University), of Philosophy (Trinity International University of Ambassadors), of Humane Letters (Canadian International Chaplaincy University), and of Christian Leadership (School of the Great Commission Bible College).
Dee is an advocate in the fight against human trafficking, domestic violence and teen dating violence which led her to produce the documentary/drama “Black Girls Die Too: The Back Page Murders”, which chronicles the death of Fourteen Black Women murdered as a result of using online human/sex trafficking websites such as Back Page. Dee is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Top Ladies of Distinction, National Council of Negro Women and the Order of Eastern Star. She is a past Regional Officer for Jack and Jill of America and is President of the East Metro Orchids. Dee resides in Lithonia Georgia. She is married to her college sweetheart Colonel David Haigler Jr. and they have four children Christopher, Christyn, Hannah and Joshua, and two grandchildren Amari and Kingston.