Dawn joined the Office of Institutional Research and Planning in 2017. She coordinates Ohio State's responses to external surveys and rankings, administers surveys for offices on campus, and serves as a brand administrator for Qualtrics survey software.

Prior to working in IRP, Dawn was the Director of Data & Research at a nonprofit organization focused on children's issues. Most of her career has been in higher education with the Office of the University Registrar and at a poverty research center, both at Ohio State. Dawn holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Ohio State. She received her M.A. from Ohio State and her B.A. from Miami University.