Dawn Smalls

Board Member

Dawn Smalls is an accomplished leader with experience in the law, politics, government, and philanthropy. She is a partner at Jenner and Block. From 2015 to 2018 Dawn served as a Commissioner of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. She currently serves as a National Board member of the American Constitution Society, a national legal organization that seeks to advance a progressive vision of the law. Dawn has extensive experience in the federal government having served two Democratic administrations, first as assistant to the White House chief of staff and then as executive secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, where she helped improve access to affordable health care. During the 2008 election cycle, Dawn served as a regional political director for the Hillary Clinton for President campaign, and then as the New York political director for President Barack Obama. Dawn has also worked in philanthropy for the Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation, two of the largest philanthropies in the world, where she managed approximately $40 million of grants promoting civic engagement, political reform, and grassroots activism.