Dawn’s maternal clan is Ye’ii Dine’e Tachii’nii, born for Kiiya’aanii (paternal clan), and she is the baby of Asdzaa Naadleehi (Changing Woman). She comes from a lineage of resilient survivors of western colonization and the Navajo Long Walk of HwéeldÍ. Dawn is working to reclaim Navajo cultural practices alongside her family to carry forward for future generations.
Dawn worked as an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant on the Navajo Nation for 8 years. She brings this experience and the cultural perspective to the work and trainings she provides about Infant Mental Health, and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. Dawn provides trainings for early childhood agencies in states and Tribal communities. She currently works under private contracts and is part-time faculty at Georgetown University.