Founding Director

Dawn is an executive leader with deep commitment to equity and racial justice and over nine years of experience developing and implementing programs and policies across all aspects of health and health care.  

Dawn’s most recent state agency experience has been with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), an agency with over 4500 staff and a biennial budget of over $32 billion, where she held dual roles as a Division Director and Chief of Staff.  Her portfolio included directing the External Relations Division with a biennial budget of $35 million, over 120 staff, and 4 programs: Communications, Government Relations, Ombuds Program, and Community Partner Outreach Program. She also served as chief strategist for agency-wide critical issues and initiatives to lead programs experiencing significant challenges to ensure outcomes were in alignment with agency strategic direction. Recent leadership areas of focus include leadership over OHA’s COVID-19 multi-agency state response, behavioral health strategic development and systems crisis management and program development, and Medicaid 1115 and other waiver initiatives. Throughout these leadership responses, Dawn has led agency culture change to bring equity to the core of the OHA’s work with her unique ability to support and bring culturally diverse teams together to address Oregon’s inequitable health outcomes.  

Previously, Dawn worked for three years at the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services in several roles, most recently as the senior health policy and communications advisor to the director. She received her BA degree from the University of Oregon in political science and her JD from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2013.  

Dawn has always had a strong commitment to public service and a passion for helping poor and underserved communities. In her spare time, you will find Dawn hiking, skiing, backpacking, or snowshoeing with her greater swiss mountain dog, Onyx.