Dawn S. Walker, MPA

Dawn S. Walker, MPA, is a communications strategist who specializes in government, nonprofit, healthcare, and higher education. As Vice President of Communications & Marketing at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, she leads crisis management, public relations, and marketing efforts and shapes the institution’s public presence.

Previously, she held senior communications roles at the City University of New York institutions Kingsborough Community College and Medgar Evers College, overseeing strategic outreach, media relations, and fundraising initiatives.

Walker served as Deputy Press Secretary to New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, managing communications for two deputy mayors focused on education, public housing, and human services. She is a co-founding partner of the Women’s City Network.

She has served on the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute, which focused on the legacy of the slain civil rights leader, and, most recently, College & Community Fellowship, a New York City-based re-entry program for justice-impacted women that provides access to higher educational opportunities.

Walker holds a BA in Communications from SUNY Old Westbury and an MPA from Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs.