Dawn E. Christian is the CEO & Founder of Belong by Dawn Christian, LLC, a Belonging + IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Social Impact) executive leadership coaching and consultancy. She is also the creator of The Belonging Conference, aka BeCon, a belonging thought leader conference focused on leveraging belonging as a foundational and core leadership skill.

As a Belonging Speaker +Thought Leader who is unapologetically committed to leadership as an IDEAS Champion + Practitioner, Belong by Dawn Christian centers executive leaders and organizations on discovering and coming to terms with their ethos. Her ethos-driven leadership framework focuses on building transparency, story-telling, and honoring lived experiences through cultural competency, global fluency, compassion, and accountability to become more authentic leaders who leverage these skills as core competencies to claim and create a sense of belonging. Dawn leads belonging, inclusion, and diversity initiatives by counseling and coaching senior-level executives on nurturing and developing a culture of inclusion by building a sense of belonging.

Dawn is a sought-after speaker, podcast contributor, and IDEAS advisor. She has been a recurring speaker, keynote, and panelist at The Global Fluency Summit, Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management Diversity Summit, The ZeroGap.co, Global Leadership Summit, featured podcast guest on the Power Banking Podcast, In Other Words, and Global Fluency Podcast. Dawn is a recurring Belonging, Diversity, and Inclusion thought leadership columnist on FairPlayTalks.com.

Inspired by two decades of corporate experience—often being the “only one in the room”—her methodology is anchored on a simple concept: I belong where I am. As I am… This is her mantra which also serves as the charter for the birth of the company namesake.

Belong by Dawn Christian’s mission, Claiming + Creating Spaces to BELONG, is meant to inspire and empower marginalized group members to evade the grasp of “the imposter syndrome” while invoking a sense of urgency and inclusivity. At the same time, the motto is meant to be a conversation starter poised to ignite a visceral discussion that will evoke storytelling. Dawn believes sharing your personal story creates human connections that eventually build trust across margins, identities, and backgrounds. She believes that every story embodies the gift of a lesson. Ultimately, her mission is to drive the idea that everyone belongs right where they are... As they are. Claiming + Creating Spaces to BELONG is both a statement and a cause for inspiration and action.

Her board appointments, civic, and community memberships have included The Insights Association, IDEAS Council Board of Directors, and she is the President of the PRSA Foundation Board of Trustees. She is a founding member of nFormation and The Gathering Spot DC, a member of Chief, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a legacy member of Ellevate, Forte Foundation, INROADS, and Management Leader for Tomorrow. Dawn is a graduate of The Shine Hard Legacy Accelerator program and The McKinsey Black Executive Leadership Program. An advocate and supporter of the arts, Dawn is a founding donor of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, a member of The Kennedy Center, and a Brand Ambassador for KweliTV.