About
Margaret Dickson is a mother, businesswoman and public servant dedicated to the community where she was born and raised. Margaret is married to Judge John Dickson, a family court judge in Cumberland County, and they are proud parents of-Bright, Seavy, Wyatt and daughter-in-law Caroline.
Businesswoman
Margaret is a product of the former Fayetteville public school system. She received her BA in 1971 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also did her graduate work in Communications. After graduating, Margaret spent 25 years working in a Fayetteville family owned business, Cape Fear Broadcasting. She learned the painful ups and downs of the business cycle, the critical importance of employees to any business, the imperative of treating them fairly, and the business and governmental issues facing small businesses. Margaret has served on the board of the Fayetteville Area Chamber of Commerce and in 2007, was awarded the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce prestigious Athena Award, for her work in helping to support the goals of professional women.
Community Volunteer
Margaret's community service did not begin with and is not limited to her work in the General Assembly. She served on the Executive Committee of the Fayetteville State University Foundation, and the Board of Directors of the Cumberland Community Foundation. Margaret often visits local schools, sharing with students her belief that an education is the key to a successful future for our citizens and for our state. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Cumberland County Education Foundation and is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Fayetteville. In May of 2008 Margaret was honored with the J.W. Pate Award by the Cape Fear River Assembly for her work on environmental issues.
Proven and Effective Public Servant
In 2002, Margaret ran successfully for a seat in the North Carolina House. As a freshman legislator, Margaret served on committees that tackled tough issues: the Joint Select Committee on Economic Growth and Development, the House Select Committee on Street Gang Prevention and the Study Commission on Worker Retraining.
In her second term, Margaret chaired the Education Subcommittee on Universities and was selected to serve on the House Select Committee on the Lottery, which created the North Carolina Education Lottery.
As a member of the House Standing Committee on Military, Veterans and Indian Affairs, Margaret was the prime sponsor of the 2005 Military Support Act, a measure which afforded our military, and their families, an honorable quality of life.
In the 2009 session, Margaret chaired the House Committee on Commerce, Small Business, and Entrepreneurship and she was Co-chair of the Joint Legislative Economic Development Oversight Committee.
Margaret resigned her seat in the House of Representatives during her fourth term on January 21, 2010, and was appointed to the Senate representing Bladen and Cumberland counties. She was officially sworn in on the Bladen-Cumberland county border in February 2010.
