A change agent, strategist, relationship builder, thought partner, problem solver and proven and a transformational leader with extensive experience in public service, higher education and the nonprofit sector, Dawn Tyler Lee is the Founder and CEO of Forrest Street Consulting (FSC), a firm that specializes in leadership development through coaching and training. As a certified John Maxwell coach, trainer and speaker, Dawn thrives when she can support people in reaching their full potential.
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In 2021, immediately after founding FSC, Dawn was sworn in as an acting Franklin County Commissioner, the first African American woman to be appointed to the county’s administrative arm that oversees 14 county agencies and a nearly $2 billion budget.
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Prior to founding Forrest Street, Dawn served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Columbus, Ohio Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. There, she was the highest ranking African American appointed official where she served as a trusted senior advisor to the mayor, worked to advance the mayor’s Equity Agenda, and led efforts in the areas of community engagement, housing and economic development, diversity and inclusion, education and health.
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Some of her transformational work history also includes Senior Vice President for Community Impact at United Way of Central Ohio, Founding Executive Director of Partners Achieving Community Transformation (PACT), and Assistant Vice President for Government Relations at The Ohio State University.
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Dawn has been featured in Business First, Columbus Monthly Magazine, Mahogany Magazine, Columbus Alive! and Who’s Who in Black Columbus. She has received numerous awards including being named a YWCA Woman of Achievement. She is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Young Americans Leadership Program and the African American Leadership Academy and is a member of its Advisory Board. Dawn also serves on the boards of the Columbus Chamber, OneOhio Recovery Foundation and the City of Columbus Civil Service Commission.
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Dawn earned her master’s degree in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware with a specialization in housing and community development and her bachelor’s in political science from Hampton University.
Dawn lives on the eastside of Columbus, Ohio, with her entrepreneur husband, Robert E. Lee III, and their loveable, but sometimes ornery, dogs Chiqui and Charli, both rescues from Puerto Rico.