Dawn Leijon

Dawn Leijon brings over 30 years of marketing, strategy and business management experience spanning small business, packaged goods, government, and B2B environments. At Kraft Foods, she built a strong foundation in brand management, consumer research, strategic planning, consumer and trade promotions, advertising, and new product development. She then served as the first Marketing Director for the US Army, overseeing $200 million in recruiting advertising and promotions, followed by a Strategic Communications role with the Army Reserve. 

Returning to the private sector, Dawn held senior marketing roles in the education and commercial real estate sectors, then joined American University's Kogod School of Business as an Executive in Residence, developing and implementing the Kogod Millennial Index, a 33-factor metric of how major cities meet the wants and needs of Millennial residents. Dawn was an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University from 2002 to 2013 and has been teaching in the MBA program at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin School of Business since 2017.

Most recently, Dawn has applied her expertise in consumer research, strategic planning, performance measurement, and organizational effectiveness to the library sector. She helps libraries better understand community needs, evaluate outcomes, align resources with strategic priorities, and develop practical plans that increase impact, relevance, and public value.