Dawn is the Chief Executive of Dumfries and Galloway Council, and also the SOLACE in Scotland lead for workforce.

With colleagues from SPDS and the Improvement Service, Dawn launched Scotland’s Local Government Workforce Report at the SOLACE in Scotland conference in September 2024.  June 2025 saw the first meeting of the Local Government Workforce Board, which Dawn is chairing. The Board aims to build long-term workforce capacity and resilience across Local Government. By working with key stakeholders and public bodies across Scotland, the Board seeks to create solutions and drive innovative approaches to addressing known and identified workforce challenges to create a sustainable workforce for the future.

Dawn also sits on the Fair Work Convention, which aims to put fair work at the heart of Scotland’s workplaces and economy and promote the principles of fair work and promote the Fair Work Framework across sectors in Scotland.

Dawn has spent most of her career in Local Authorities in England, most recently for Cumbria County Council where she led corporate and customer services. This involved leading major customer and digital change programmes and service reform, and also preparations for the reorganisation of local government in the county.