Dawn has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in Special Education. She began her career as a preschool teacher in a nationally accredited program. She has also worked as a program director, curriculum developer and behavior specialist before taking her early childhood knowledge into policy and state work. At the state, she started at the, then Child Care Division, as the Child Care Resource and Referral Liaison to support the professional development needs of child care providers and shortly became the lead on the development of Spark, Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Currently, Dawn is the Director of Child Care for the Early Learning Division. Her goal is to ensure child care programs, and providers are well supported with opportunities for continuous improvement, so Oregon’s children thrive.