He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Eastern Michigan University in 1982, became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, and was initiated into the Delta Nu chapter at EMU; Hendrix served in the U.S. Navy for four years.
Mayor Archer concurrently named Hendrix chairman of the appointed Detroit School Board in 1999.
Hendrix won the August 2 primary election by a comfortable margin, with incumbent Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick coming in second.
[2] Hendrix was named chief operating officer of Strategic Staffing Solutions and joined EMU in August 2006 as chief government relations officer, focusing on strengthening relationships with legislators in Lansing and Washington, D.C.[3] Hendrix officially announced a second formal campaign for mayor of Detroit at the EMU Student Government meeting on October 7, 2008.
After an inquiry by Student Body Vice-President Robert Philip Kull about his plans, Hendrix revealed his plans as a way of pushing for "honesty, transparency, and accountability".2 Others who announced their candidacy were interim Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr., Sharon McPhail, Coleman Young II, Nicholas Hood III, and Dave Bing; Hendrix ultimately came in third in the February 24, 2009, primary behind Cockrel and Bing (who was elected mayor).