Dr. Marccus D. Hendricks

Marccus D. Hendricks is a first-generation Black American scholar and academic mentor who was born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in two neighborhoods (South Dallas and Oakcliff), both of which are right outside of downtown by his mother and father, a homemaker and liquor store manager, respectively. Currently, Hendricks is a recently tenured Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, where as a community-engaged scholar, he emphasizes participation and action using methods such as photography, visual inspection, and environmental sampling to better understand environmental exposure and impact. For example, he developed a participatory assessment technique for infrastructure (PATI) that provides a community-based approach to assess the capacity and physical condition of stormwater and other infrastructure systems (e.g. transportation, utility poles, etc.). This application of community science was the first of its kind connecting flood risks from stormwater runoff to the infrastructure systems that are designed to provide physical protection. Hendricks holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science and a Master of Public Health, both from Texas A&M University. His favorite pastimes include live theatre, music, and spoken word. His passion for critical thinking and public speaking began early on in grade school when he was a championed chess player and oratorical contestant. Hendricks’s ultimate career goal is to support communities, particularly those who live at the margins, in the transformation of the spaces where they desire to live, work, and play and mitigate inequality through what he calls this “socio-physical continuum.” He lives by the mantra “As long as I’m generous at heart I don’t need recognition, how I’m rewarded, well that’s God’s decision” which is a lyric from Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly.