Increasing Civic and Political Participation
Team
Dawn L. Smalls directs the Ford Foundation's democratic participation work. She is responsible for three grant-making initiatives in the United States, China and Eastern Africa. The initiatives focus on increasing civic and political participation; promoting electoral reform and democratic participation; and strengthening civil society and philanthropy. She brings to her position extensive experience working in government, law, politics and philanthropy.
Before joining the foundation in 2012, Dawn served as the executive secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this position, she acted as a principal adviser to the secretary, deputy secretary and chief of staff, where she participated in the formulation, development and implementation of departmental policy. From 1998 to 2000, Dawn was assistant to White House Chief of Staff John Podesta and special assistant to the Federal D.C. Interagency Task Force.
A lawyer by training, Dawn was an associate at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, practicing complex commercial litigation and providing pro bono counsel to immigrant workers on matters involving sexual harassment, unpaid wages and forced labor. After her time at the firm, Dawn then transitioned to the philanthropic sector and served as program officer at Open Society Foundations (OSF) where she developed grant-making strategies on civic engagement, political reform, media policy and other issues of interest to OSF. She also worked on two U.S. presidential campaigns, as State Political Director and assistant director of Delegate Selection.
Dawn received her law degree from Stanford Law School and her B.A. from Boston University.
Issues and Initiatives
Dawn Smalls manages the strategy, foundationwide for the following initiatives:
| Issue | Initiative |
|---|---|
| Democratic and Accountable Government |
Team
-
Dawn Smalls
Director
New York
-
Jee Kim
Program Officer
New York
Share, Find, Follow