D

Dawn M Gipson

CEO

Florissant, Missouri, United States26 yrs 5 mos experience
Highly Stable

Key Highlights

  • Award-winning leader in Diversity & Inclusion.
  • Successfully launched major initiatives for Fortune 25 companies.
  • Expert in embedding inclusive practices into corporate culture.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Healthcare Diversity & Inclusion Leader with extensive experience in corporate communications and strategic initiatives.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Diversity & InclusionCultural TransformationInclusive PracticesEmployee EngagementMarketingBrand ManagementCreative DirectionAdvertisingProject ManagementCorporate Communications

Other Skills

Culture ActivationStrategic CommunicationsInclusive Business PracticesCross-functional CollaborationCultural FluencyDiversity & Inclusion StrategyPolicy ReviewBrand StrategyMarket ResearchCommunications StrategyMentoring ProgramsAdvertising Campaign StrategyMedia LaunchClient Portfolio ManagementClient Management

About

When I was a kid, I loved my Fisher-Price tool kit. I spent hours constructing imaginary buildings and pretending to fix furniture around the house. When I got to middle school, I took a career assessment test that suggested I take up firefighting. Thinking it was a mistake, I tried again. The results were the same. I didn’t realize then that my natural abilities were shining through. I’m good at locating the root of a challenge and designing a solution to address it. I’m also an agile leader who remains calm under pressure. (Most of the time, anyway. I am, after all, human.) Throughout my career, I've used my abilities to shape culture, policies, and processes that help companies be their best. My journey includes stints as a graphic designer, project manager, event producer, and creative program director. I helped launch major initiatives for AT&T, Elanco, UPS, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and now, Centene. Every day, I work to widen our collective worldview – I want to make space for exploration and understanding that leverages our team's unique experiences to advance business objectives. I’m an extroverted introvert – so I enjoy meeting people and learning new perspectives, but only to a point. You can find me on a yoga mat when I need some alone time. And yes, I still have a toolkit that I use often. The flower-painted hammer my mom gave me is one of my most prized possessions.

Experience

26 yrs 5 mos
Total Experience
9 yrs 10 mos
Average Tenure
6 yrs 8 mos
Current Experience

Centene corporation

4 roles

Senior Director, Culture Activation

Jan 2026Present · 4 mos

  • In my role as Senior Director of Culture Transformation, I focus on bringing Centene’s cultural priorities to life in the everyday experiences of our employees and members. I drive efforts that connect values, leadership behaviors, and employee engagement to business outcomes to ensure our culture is not just defined, but activated. By leading enterprise programs, partnering closely with senior leaders, and aligning systems, communications, and processes, I help create a workplace where inclusive, human centered behaviors fuel performance and deepen connection to our mission. My work includes:
  • Embedding shared values and behaviors into moments that matter across the employee lifecycle; collaborate with team across the organization to ensure cultural alignment in systems, processes, and messaging.
  • Defining success criteria, establish feedback loops, and report on engagement and outcomes to demonstrate progress and guide continuous improvement.
  • Designing and delivering an enterprise leadership summit that reinforces cultural priorities and inclusive business practices, aligned to mission and talent development goals.
  • Building and executing strategic communications that raise awareness, inspire participation, and strengthen cultural identity across the enterprise.
Culture ActivationEmployee EngagementStrategic CommunicationsDiversity & InclusionCultural Transformation

Senior Director, Inclusive Business Practices

Promoted

Oct 2024Jan 2026 · 1 yr 3 mos

  • As Senior Director of Inclusive Business Practices, I led enterprise efforts to embed inclusive, human-centered practices into daily operations and decision-making across the organization. My work brought structure, measurement, and impact to how Centene advances its mission to improve the health of the communities we serve. My responsibilities included:
  • Drove cross functional collaboration to shape policies, processes, and systems that embed inclusive, people first principles into operational and strategic decision making.
  • Designed tools, programming, and resources that strengthened cultural fluency and inclusive behaviors for employees at all levels, contributing to eight national employer recognitions and 88% favorability on the inclusion index in 2024.
  • Implemented guidance for Business Unit Councils and Employee Networks to support measurable, mission aligned initiatives that benefit employees and customers, contributing to a 28% participation rate in the company’s Employee Networks, up from 18% in 2022.
  • Elevated storytelling and expanding visibility of inclusive efforts through strategic communications initiatives.
Inclusive Business PracticesCross-functional CollaborationCultural FluencyDiversity & InclusionInclusive Practices

Director, Policy and Programming, Diversity & Inclusion

Jan 2021Oct 2024 · 3 yrs 9 mos

  • Advanced enterprise-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy with business partners across the company, contributing to an 83% favorable measure of DEI engagement in 2022.
  • Led a high-performing team that develops DEI programming and engagement opportunities for more than 50,000 employees, achieving an 86% Net Promoter Score and contributing to a 20% participation rate in the company’s Employee Inclusion Groups, up from 15% in 2021.
  • Led cross-functional team that reviews company policies, processes, and practices to ensure consistency and integration with company’s core values and new business engagements.
  • Designed and produced annual DEI Summit for business leaders in the company, resulting in alignment of DEI objectives and company business goals.
  • Drove external communications and reporting strategy for DEI initiatives, leading to in 15+ industry recognitions over three years.
Diversity & Inclusion StrategyEmployee EngagementPolicy ReviewDiversity & Inclusion

Director, Marketing

Sep 2019Jan 2021 · 1 yr 4 mos

  • Orchestrated a comprehensive brand strategy for a Medicare Advantage health plan, supporting a product launch across eight states. Managed multi-million-dollar annual marketing budget.
  • Applied strategic insights from market research and strategy to drive continuous improvement, enhancing the plan's appeal and customer satisfaction.
  • Collaborated with plan operations (benefits management, medical management, provider relations, etc.) to execute communications strategy and improve service quality.
Brand StrategyMarket ResearchCommunications StrategyMarketingBrand Management

Fleishmanhillard

5 roles

Diversity & Inclusion Champion, Global Headquarters

May 2017Jun 2019 · 2 yrs 1 mo

  • Collaborated with senior leaders to embed diversity and inclusion into agency culture at the corporate and local levels, resulting in 10% increase in favorable employee engagement scores.
  • Co-developed two mentoring programs for middle- and high-school students as part of the firm’s community service initiative.
  • Established a monthly forum for employees to encourage open dialogue and provide education on a variety of D&I issues.
Diversity & InclusionMentoring ProgramsEmployee Engagement

Senior Vice President and Creative Program Director

Promoted

Jun 2014Jun 2019 · 5 yrs

  • Developed $500,000 advertising campaign strategy for healthcare client, resulting in increased lead generation.
  • Developed strategy and co-produced $1M media launch for communications client, resulting in monthly sales goal achieved within less than one week.
  • Created account strategies to drive sales across client portfolios, including implementation of brand messaging across print, web, social media, and live events.
  • Conducted audience analyses and assess impact of programs; developed projections and profitability reports; recommended tactical corrections as needed.
  • Produced proposals and presentations for customers to land new accounts.
Advertising Campaign StrategyMedia LaunchClient Portfolio ManagementCreative DirectionAdvertising

Vice President and Creative Project Manager

Oct 2007Jun 2014 · 6 yrs 8 mos

  • Managed $1M corporate communications retainer; achieved average year-over-year growth of 10% for five years.
  • Served as primary point of contact for internal and external clients; provided status updates and made recommendations for course corrections as needed.
  • Developed comprehensive project plans; defined and managed team expectations regarding scope of work and responsibilities.
  • Tracked project performance, specifically to analyze the successful completion of short- and long-term goals.
Corporate CommunicationsProject ManagementClient Management

Senior Creative Director

Jan 2004Oct 2007 · 3 yrs 9 mos

Graphic Designer

Sep 2000Jan 2004 · 3 yrs 4 mos

Rose design

Graphic Designer

Jan 1999Jan 2000 · 1 yr

Education

University of Missouri-Columbia

Bachelor of Journalism

Jan 1992Jan 1997

University of Illinois Chicago

MFA — Graphic Communications

Jan 1997Jan 1999

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