June 10, 2023

The Jesse Hall Notable Alumni Wall was dedicated in May 2006. In 2017, the Jefferson Club Board of Trustees refreshed the criteria for consideration and gave the recognition a new name — the Jefferson Club Golden Quill Alumni Excellence Award. The board recognizes outstanding alumni with this distinction each year based on nominations from the University of Missouri family.

Among this year’s honorees is Robert K. Dixon, senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He is a co-founder and lead author of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Dixon served with distinction in academia, government, international institutions and the private sector, including executive director, International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy, senior investment banker at The World Bank Group, and counselor to four U.S. presidents in senior White House posts.

Dixon graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1977, Master of Science in 1979 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1982, all from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR). He received a Faculty Alumni Award from the Mizzou Alumni Association in 2007 and served as CAFNR executive-in-residence in 2005.