Tom Dawson

Tom Dawson is Strada Education Network’s interim president and chief executive officer. Dawson previously served as Strada’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, overseeing the shared services that support the Strada network, including finance, impact evaluation, information technology, and philanthropic partnerships. As COO, he also was responsible for overseeing Strada’s nonprofit affiliates — CAEL, Education at Work, InsideTrack, and Roadtrip Nation — to ensure they met growth, sustainability, and impact goals. Before joining Strada in 2015, Dawson served as a senior policy officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Earlier in his career, Dawson worked for the U.S. Department of Education as deputy assistant secretary for postsecondary education. He also serves on the boards of St. Richard’s Episcopal School and the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership. Dawson graduated from Claremont McKenna College with honors degrees in government and economics.