Dawn Prasifka, President and Chief Executive Officer for Girl Scouts Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, is all about nurturing relationships such that lives are improved, and the world is made a better place. Dawn has over 25 years of experience with cause-oriented nonprofit organizations, including senior leadership roles of larger organizations as well as start-up entities. Dawn’s professional accomplishments were recently recognized by receiving the Patriot Award from the Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. Patriot Awards are awarded to individual supervisors and reflect the efforts made to support citizen warriors
As the leader of the Girl Scouts-Diamonds, Dawn has the opportunity to utilize her skills of strategic thinking to maximize the business, operational and program aspects of this premier girl led organization that builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.
Prior to joining Girl Scouts, Dawn was the Executive Director of The Centers for Youth and Families Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas. During her seven years at The Centers, which included one of the country’s most severe economic recessions, she was directly responsible for an average increase in donations of 9% annually. Dawn’s redesign of the staff structure encouraged a team approach to fundraising and encouraged cross training within the organization.
Dawn has also served as Director of Operations at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the decision process leading to the selection of a comprehensive donor management software system. Dawn managed this software implementation and the process of converting the records of over 200,000 constituents. Dawn also was responsible for the training of the system’s users.
Dawn’s love for children led her to be an elementary school teacher before she began working with other nonprofit organizations in 1997. Since then, Dawn has worked with boards at all levels, developed strategic plans, has had responsibility for projecting and managing budgets and managing the operational aspects of organizations. Dawn is a global thinker who can motivate others into action. Dawn possesses a unique combination of qualities which make for an outstanding leader and mentor. She demonstrates the ability to have vision for the future and to put that vision into daily practice.
In 2017 Dawn was awarded the Patriotic Employer Award from the Department of Defense for providing a work environment that support staff working in the military. Dawn has been named the Arkansas’ Outstanding Fundraising Professional of 2012 by the Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Professional Fundraisers. Additionally, Dawn was recognized by Arkansas Business Publishing’s June 2008 Soiree magazine as one of Little Rock’s 26 Power Women and was selected as a High Profile by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas only state-wide newspaper, in its March 8, 2009 issue.
Dawn has served as a volunteer in many organizations and is currently a member of the Downtown Little Rock Rotary Club, Mount St. Mary’s Alumnae Board Past President and a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Southeast Missouri State University. Dawn is married to Ken Harrison. Dawn’s proudest accomplishment is being the mother of three sons, Benjamin, Spencer and Brooks.
