Dixie Kolditz was born and raised in a segregated black township in Johannesburg, South Africa during apartheid. As a young woman, she got to participate in the political process, teaching voter education classes, and also voting in South Africa’s first free election. Dixie learned first hand the value and cost of freedom.
In 1995, while working as a reporter for a large weekly newspaper, Dixie applied for and received a journalism scholarship from the Scripps-Howard news service to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. It was there that she met and married her husband Ross, a Southwest Washington native, and started a family.
In 2004, after a lengthy 7-year process, Dixie was able to become a Citizen of the United States. Her oath, pledging allegiance to the United States of America, was a very special experience and a tremendous privilege.
Dixie and her husband currently own and operate two businesses. A company providing residential care to people with disabilities, and a wholesale home décor company. She is an experienced employer and job creator, currently employing 150 people in Washington State.
In 2010, Dixie was invited by Jamie Herrera-Beutler to testify to congress about her experiences and challenges with government regulation, and its impact on business. Dixie is passionate about the free-market, and people being able to provide for themselves and their families.
Dixie and her husband and children live in Cathlamet Washington.
