Board Member
Dawn is from Minnesota and has spent the last 30 years in education, first as a high school social studies teacher, and then as a school administrator. She received her MAEd and K-12 School Administrator license from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prior to going into education, she worked as a domestic abuse advocate in the Hennepin County Attorney's office in Minneapolis. Dawn has dedicated her work to advocating for underserved communities where she can combine her passion for social justice and education. As a charter school administrator, Dawn has worked with many immigrant communities by helping families navigate both educational and social service systems. She has many years of experience working with nonprofit boards, both as an executive director and as a board member and is looking forward to sharing this experience with PLAN. The mission and vision of PLAN is aligned with her professional and personal values. She is currently part of the leadership team at Imagine Desert West Middle School in Phoenix. She is most proud of growing two wonderful, young adult sons along with amazing vegetable gardens. Dawn and her wife live in Glendale where she is perfecting her pickleball game and appreciation for desert gardening.
What does reimagining immigrant justice mean to you?
Re-Imagining justice means "access" to me. It means providing individuals with the knowledge, language, physical accessibility and resources to advocate for themselves in systems that have traditionally left them "out". It means working in partnership to equip people with the keys and tools to open doors that they feel need to be opened for a fulfilling life as they define it. It means re-imagining educational, social and legal systems to ensure that all voices are not only heard but have real power to make the changes needed to provide justice.