HOUSTON — The new chairman of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation at NRG Park is Bishop James Dixon.
He’s the first pastor and the first African-American to take the reins at the 350-acre complex.
From Houston Texans games to Rodeo Houston -- the Men’s NCAA Final Four to the World Cup -- NRG Park hosts 500 events a year and the HCSCC runs it all.
Dixon held his first congregation when he was 18 with 150 people. Today, NRG Park has 5.5 million visitors a year.
Dixon has been a board member since 2018 and thinks he got the top job because he's a consensus builder who knows about board leadership. He is first and foremost a man of faith.
But, how does that help him with his new job?
“Faith is always an expectation of something greater,” Dixon said.
He wants to plan for NRG’s future -- even 20 years ahead.
The leader of Houston’s Community of Faith church said service and corporate responsibility are also key.
“During the pandemic, this facility became the place for people to come for vaccinations, masks, sanitizers, shelter,” Dixon said.
In addition to being the first pastor, he is also the first African-American to chair the corporation.
“I was an Astros Buddy when my parents brought me to the baseball games at the Astrodome,” Dixon said.
He's 59 now and believes his chairmanship reflects a positive change in Houston.
“Today, for me to be able to invite them back (his parents) and bring them to the suite for our corporation as the chairman, only God can do something like that. It brings me to tears thinking about it,” Dixon said.
Make no mistake, the job comes with tough problems -- specifically the future of the Astrodome.
“We're gonna pray about the Astrodome. We're in prayer about that right now. The answer will come later,” Dixon said.