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Dawn Chávez joined the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) as the Executive Director in June 2023. A native of the Bronx in New York City, Dawn has lived and worked across the country in many different communities, from wilderness outposts to small towns to large urban centers. Throughout her career, Dawn has been passionate about equity issues, environmental protection, and the intersection of the two.
Dawn holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University and a M.A. in Environmental Education from Montclair University. While completing coursework at Antioch University as part of a doctoral program in Environmental Studies, Dawn received a scholarship from the Switzer Foundation. Before moving to Asheville in January 2015, to work as the Executive Director of Asheville GreenWorks, Dawn worked in Boston for twelve years as the Boston Youth Environmental Network director and education director of the Urban Ecology Institute. Dawn serves on the board of the NC Center for Nonprofits. In her free time, Dawn enjoys hiking in the mountains around Asheville with her husband, Andrew, two children, Noah and Phoebe and the family dogs, Finn and Paco.