Dawn McAvoy, MAOL, PMP

Meet Dawn McAvoy

Helping leaders and teams move from misalignment and stalled execution to clear decisions and measurable progress.

Dawn McAvoy is an executive coach and organizational consultant who helps leaders and teams move from confusion and misalignment to clear decisions, strong execution, and measurable progress.

She is typically brought in when organizations are experiencing friction—unclear priorities, stalled initiatives, leadership misalignment, or breakdowns in communication—and need a practical path forward. Dawn quickly diagnoses where execution is getting stuck across people, processes, and leadership dynamics, and translates that into focused, actionable changes.

Her work sits at the intersection of leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. She partners with senior leaders to clarify roles and decision-making, strengthen accountability, and align teams around what matters most—so work moves forward with less friction and greater consistency.

Dawn is known for being both direct and steady. She creates the conditions for honest conversations while helping leaders take responsibility for change, shifting teams from overwhelm and reactivity to clarity, ownership, and follow-through. She has over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits, public sector organizations, and mission-driven enterprises, supporting leadership development, organizational consulting, and large-scale initiatives.

In addition to holding a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, she has the following certifications:

Project Management Professional (PMP)
Everything DiSC
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
EQi-2.0/360
The 5 Behaviors

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“I feel more confident as a leader. I have learned to be more circumspect regarding my perfectionist tendencies, or what I think the role requires vs what is more realistic. I also appreciate knowing that I have someone I can speak with who is unbiased and outside my organization.”

— CEO

“I appreciated how Dawn met me where I was and the reality of my work situation. She did not throw a bunch of irrelevant theory at me that didn't apply to my personal situation.”

— Senior Executive

“Dawn McAvoy is incredibly knowledgeable in her field and was able to guide us through an enlightening process while simultaneously developing a multifaceted final product. We would absolutely recommend her to anyone wanting to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their organization’s HR function. It was a pleasure working with Dawn!”

— Former Customer

Areas of Expertise

Leadership Development, Coaching, and Mentoring
Executive Coaching
Workshop Design
Emotional Intelligence
Interpersonal Dynamics
Strategic Thinking
Operations & Execution
360 Assessments & Feedback
Performance Management
Enhancing Communication

Honors & Awards

Innovation and Change Award/American University/June 2021
Customer Support Award/American University/June 2020
Staff Performance Award for Inclusive Excellence/American University/May 2019
Club Coach Award/Toastmasters, District 27/June 2013
District Governor’s Award/Toastmasters, District 32/June 2011
Innovative Marketing Award/Toastmasters, District 32/November 2010
High Performance Leadership Award/Toastmasters, District 32/June 2010
Outstanding Initiative Award/Toastmasters, District 32/June 2009

MEMBERSHIPS, ASSOCIATIONS, + CERTIFICATIONS

Mid-Atlantic Facilitator’s Network/Board Member, Marketing Chair, Programming Committee/2023-Present
Chesapeake Bay Organization Development Network/Board Member, Conference Chair, Conference Advisor/2021-2023
Association for Talent Development/Board Member/2013-14
Northern Virginia SHRM/Training and Development SIG Co-Lead/2015
Toastmasters, District 27/Area Governor/2013
Toastmasters, District 27/Club President/2013
Toastmasters, District 32, District Public Relations Officer/2010
Compass Pro Bono/Pro Bono Consultant for DC Area Nonprofits/2012-2021

Education

Chapman University, MA-Organizational Leadership, Washington, Graduated 2011
Pellissippi State Community College/CDA: Early Childhood Education, Tennessee, Graduated 2003
University of Tennessee, BA-English, Technical Communication, Tennessee, Graduated 1996

Certified Facilitator

Emotional Intelligence 2.0®
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI)

Relevant Experience

Client Type: State Agency

Industry: State Government

Issue: The client was struggling with change, trust, and communication on her team.

Our Approach: I was part of a consulting team that provided training and coaching. I provided executive coaching to a senior executive and several members of her team (total of 12 people). My colleague and I also provided 4 training modules (1/month) on different leadership topics. The team had “homework/assignments” to complete before the next training and reported on their progress the next month. My coaching supported the training but also addressed individual needs that each leader was facing.

Result: The leaders engaged with each other and the content during the trainings. They built accountability partnerships. Their trust grew from month to month. The individual coaching generated conversations and outcomes that positively impacted their teams and each other, sharing resources and ideas. After four months, the team had more trust than they had experienced in 2-3 years. They developed greater self-awareness. They were willing to have difficult/hard conversations. The senior leader I coached was more confident and taking more risks, which generated better and faster results for her team.

Client Type: Nonprofit Agency that helps vulnerable families with housing and health needs.

Industry: Nonprofit

Issue: The client needed a succession plan for their CEO.

Our Approach: Over the span of three months, I collaborated with two senior leaders. I learned about the organization’s pain points and gaps. We developed processes to inform a succession plan, which included the following: Skills Matrix, Onboarding Checklist, Offboarding Checklist, Gnatt Chart Hiring Timeline, Staff Procedures and Protocols, and an “If-Then” document.

Result: The client gained a plan for staff training and development, a skills assessment tool, and a roadmap to building out our HR policies. The end result – adding individual growth for staff members to their corporate culture as well as a plan for succession in every area of the organization.