In 1994, Dickens began his professional career as a Chemical Engineer for BP-Amoco, first as a co-op while at Georgia Tech then as a full-time employee located in Alpharetta, Greenville, and Houston. In 1999, Dickens began work as a Sales Engineer for DSM Engineering Plastics where he worked in several locations including Evansville, IN, Long Beach, CA, and Atlanta, GA. While at DSM, Dickens became the youngest person and first African-American to win DSM’s prestigious salesperson of the year award in 2002.
In 2002, he co-founded City Living Home Furnishings in Atlanta, a family-run operation that grew into a multi-million dollar business with two locations and over 20 employees. Dickens oversaw City Living’s operations, finance, and marketing efforts until 2010.
That year, Andre decided to return to his alma mater to serve as the Assistant Director of Outreach Initiatives for Georgia Tech's OMED: Educational Services, a department within the Office of Institute Diversity. In this role, he manages the graduate recruitment program and helps hundreds of undergraduate students and their parents successfully transition into college life. His commitment to male mentoring led him to successfully write a grant leading to the creation of the African-American Male Initiative, a new University System of Georgia initiative.
Andre’s passion for building the next generation of leaders extends beyond his work at Tech. He is an alumnus of the United Way VIP Program and the Diversity Leadership Academy of Atlanta. He currently sits on the boards of the Korey Stringer Institute and the Jeremy Feaster Foundation while also serving as a mentor in the Pentorship Program and Southwest Atlanta Youth Business Organization. He was ordained a deacon in 2007 and was responsible for overseeing all financial elements of the newly established New Horizon Baptist Church and construction of the church sanctuary. Dickens currently serves as Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and Finance Chairperson.
With an undying quest for knowledge, Andre completed his Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in Economic Development at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies in December 2013.
Finally, on November 5, 2013, Andre Dickens was elected citywide by the citizens of Atlanta to the Atlanta City Council Post 3 at Large. He currently serves as the chair of the Community Development & Human Resources Committee and is a member of the Transportation and City Utilities Committees of the Atlanta City Council. He also serves as the treasurer of the board of the Atlanta Beltline, secretary of the Invest Atlanta board, and board-member for the Center for Civil and Human Rights. In 2014, the Atlanta Business League named him as one of Atlanta’s Men of Influence.
Andre resides in West Midtown Atlanta with his wife Kimberly, a real estate attorney and law firm owner, 9 year-old daughter, Bailey, and their dog Kola.
