Dax-Devlon Ross (Dax) was born in 1975 to parents, Claude and Evelyn Ross. Claude and Evelyn had three children together, Leslie, Candace and Dax. They later divorced when he was a young boy. Dax has a younger brother, Galen, from his father’s second marriage.

Dax grew up in Washington, D.C. and attended Sidwell Friends School. Dax is listed among SFS’ many distinguished alumni, along with Nancy Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dan Rather, Gore Vidal and Bill Nye (The Science Guy). Upon graduation from SFS, Dax attended Rutgers University where he studied English, Spanish and Philosophy. Rutgers is also where Dax began his friendship with his publishing partner, Derek Beres. After receiving his under-graduate degree, Dax attended George Washington University Law School where he earned his Juris Doctor.

Dax taught seventh-grade English for the New York City public schools. He also spent two years working in publishing and journalism before joining New York City’s Teaching Fellows program. It was in this program that Dax realized the need to expand the role models for young African-Americans.

Dax also works with The Posse Foundation, which has awarded $334 million in college scholarships to future leaders. The foundation was a recipient of a generous portion of President Barack Obama’s 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Award of $1.4 million.