Meet Matrice Ellis-Kirk, a woman who has devoted decades to community service

At the center of a multi-million-dollar revitalization project in South Dallas is a woman who has devoted decades to public service. Matrice-Ellis-Kirk is known around Dallas as an advocate for so many and a voice for the voiceless.

“I'm a community volunteer, and I love anything that's related to the arts, to education, to improving the lives of communities that have been the least of these,” Ellis-Kirk said.

While working in the community is her passion, her day job is leading the executive search firm, Ellis Kirk Group.

“We do C-Suite and corporate board executive search. You can consider us an extension of the executive management of most organizations,” Ellis-Kirk said.

Currently, she is working with the Trinity Park Conservancy in beautifying the Trinity Park area of Dallas and the current Board Chair of the nonprofit Forest Forward. It is a grassroots, community effort to revitalize the historic Forest Theater and the area around it in South Dallas.

"Forest Forward is, I think, one of the most important organizations in our next decade. It is revitalizing the forest theater. That's just one segment of it. But in the 75215 district, which is where the Forest Theater is located, life expectancy is 10 years less than the zip code less than two miles down the road,” Ellis-Kirk said.

The Forest Theater originally opened in 1949 and closed in 1965. Through Forest Forward, it’s being restored to its original glory to breathe life in the community it once served.

“Anywhere that I can share what I’ve learned in my experiences and quite frankly, I get way more back than I give them,” Ellis-Kirk said.

She said those experiences mean she has worn many hats in her more than four decades of being an advocate for so many. As board chair of the DFW Airport Board of Directors when the COVID-19 pandemic effectively shut down the world in March of 2020. She put her leadership skills to work in unchartered territory.

“It was the worst of times. I mean you went from having close to 700,000 people come through an airport to 700 and that was in a week,” Ellis-Kirk said.

She said in those moments she saw the power of innovation of leaders. She said often that means what can be done out of necessity. Ellis-Kirk also put her leadership skills to work serving on the Commission of White House Fellows during the Obama Administration. She co-chaired a fundraising campaign to transform Fair Park, that gained steam in 2021, raising more than $80 million.

Much of the Dallas arts community has credited Ellis-Kirk in large part for saving the AT&T Performing Arts Center. She navigated them out of a debt crisis that was sure to send them into an uncertain, economic future.

Ellis-Kirk and her husband are both history-makers. Ron Kirk was elected the first Black Mayor of Dallas in 1995 and served until 2002. Work done in those offices is work they continue to celebrate today.

“We sometimes will sit back and smile as things are happening now and think about the seeds that were planted some time ago to make that a reality. I mean, why be here if we're not going to give back and to share, but then to also learn? And it's also, I take home more than I give every day,” Ellis-Kirk said.

"My grandmother and great-grandmother raised me, and Ron's mother raised him, and Ron's mother probably said it the best when she said, 'If you have something, you have something to give,'” Ellis-Kirk said.

While her community leadership resume continues to grow, she said her focus is continuing to move communities forward, but also a testament to where she started with humble beginnings.

“I remember going to the museum and seeing the beauty on those walls. It opens up possibilities and makes you think about things you never thought about and us being able to give that to our kids is beautiful," Ellis-Kirk said.

Ellis-Kirk’s body of work includes countless community and regional awards and helping to elevate not just women, but women of color to nonprofit and corporate boards.