Fueled by a passion for developing the potential of young people into promise, Dawn Alston chose higher education as her platform for service 25 years ago, of which 20 have been at Spelman College, where she serves as Vice President for Business and Financial affairs, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer. Mrs. Alston began her career as a scientist and adjunct faculty member but later evolved into a research administrator and ultimately a collegiate business officer. This unique vantage point affords Mrs. Alston the opportunity to understand the intricate relationship between academics and finance. Mrs. Alston holds a BS in Biology from Hampton University and earned an MS in Environmental Toxicology from Clemson University, and an MBA from Louisiana State University. Mrs. Alston is also a Certified Research Administrator. It is Mrs. Alston’s professional goal to ensure that finances do not fail academia and ultimately tomorrow’s young leaders.
Although not a traditional one, every step along Mrs. Alston’s path to her current role of Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs and Chief Financial Officer contributed a unique and valuable aptitude to her knowledge base. As a compliance officer for the Department of Defense, she became astute at interpreting government policy and regulations, eventually selected to receive the Outstanding Employee Award for contributions that improved processes and procedures related to the mitochondrial match DNA project. As an adjunct Biology instructor at Wofford College and Tri-County Technical College, she honed teaching and training skills, and in her first position at Spelman as a research technician, she enhanced analytical and critical thinking skills.
A transition in career from academics to finance at Spelman has led to fast-track promotions from grants compliance specialist to Assistant Director of Budgets and Contracts, Director of Budgets and Contracts, and ultimately Associate Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs. As a mission-minded part of the Spelman community, Mrs. Alston has served on various college-wide committees, including SACS leadership, leadership council, operational planning, and risk assessment and management, as well as technology governance.
During Mrs. Alston’s 19-year tenure in the Division of Business and Financial Affairs, she has been instrumental in: 1) ensuring a history of balanced budgets, 2) the development and implementation of the formalized fiscal grant compliance program, which ensures audits with no findings, and 3) guiding the college’s operating budget development process.
Mrs. Alston serves on the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers (NACUBO) board, is the SACUBO small institutions committee chair, and is a member of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and the Society of Research Administrators (SRA). Mrs. Alston has also consulted with several non-profits nationwide, guiding grant-writing efforts, non-profit business structure and organization, and grants management.
Mrs. Alston originally hails from Washington, DC, and she and her husband, Milton, are the parents of one son, Milton Jr.
