Dawn has extensive experience as a Non-Executive Director and Trustee and is Chief Executive of Burton and South Derbyshire College. She has a wealth of experience across professional technical vocational education and is passionate about education as an enabler for social mobility. She is currently Chair of YMCA Heart of England, a Trustee of YMCA England and Wales. She is also Chair of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics and Deputy Chair of the Chartered Institution for Further Education and a Director of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.
Dawn has received numerous awards throughout her extensive career in technical and professional education including Principal of the year from the Centre for Excellence in Leadership, World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics gold award for leadership in Diversity and Inclusion, and leadership in race equality award from the Network for Black and Asian Professionals. She was promoted to CBE in 2014 for her services to Education. In 2017 she was awarded a medal of Merit from The Royal House of Georgia in recognition of her contribution to international education and made a companion of the order of the League of Mercy in 2019.
Appointed 2022