IN THE LAB

Some Of Our Work

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Dawn Hunter, JD, MPH, CWP is a Workplace Culture Strategist and leadership keynote speaker specializing in organizational wellbeing, burnout prevention, ethical and inclusive leadership, and workplace culture transformation.

Dawn is creator of the RESET Method — a public-health-informed leadership & culture methodology for rebuilding leadership capacity, engagement, and sustainable workplace culture.

In the Lab is a living portfolio of Dawn’s keynote experiences, leadership programs, culture strategy work, and RESET-based initiatives in action.

Leadership & Culture Keynote Speaker | Creator of the RESET Method

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Public Health Law Conference, 2025

Dawn delivers high-impact keynote experiences and facilitated leadership programs for organizations seeking to:

• Rebuild leadership capacity
• Address disengagement and burnout
• Strengthen trust and ethical leadership
• Transform workplace culture
•Improve internal policies and programs

Her programs are trusted by organizations who need modern leadership development that actually works — and actually lasts.

Signature Keynotes & Leadership Experiences

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Bridging the Gap Between Leadership Intent and Employee Experience
In this clip, Dawn interprets workforce survey data to highlight a common organizational challenge: the disconnect between leadership intent and how employees actually experience their work. She invites leaders to move beyond programs and assumptions and instead ask intentional questions that surface whether employees feel supported, valued, and heard.

Naming Patterns That Impact Wellbeing, Trust, and Performance
In this clip, Dawn synthesizes employee feedback from an organizational engagement process, naming recurring themes related to clarity, collaboration, burnout, and leadership accountability. This moment reflects her facilitation style—grounded, inclusive, and focused on translating employee experiences into actionable leadership insight.

Leading Change Through Collaboration, Adaptability, and Trust
In this clip, Dawn reflects on lessons learned from a multi-year initiative, emphasizing adaptive leadership, ethical collaboration, and the importance of tailoring tools to organizational and community context. She highlights the role of collective learning, openness, and long-term partnership in creating meaningful and sustainable change.

The RESET Method

The RESET Method is Dawn Hunter’s signature leadership & culture methodology — designed for organizations navigating burnout, disengagement, and leadership capacity gaps.

Rooted in public health, equity, and wellbeing science, RESET helps teams:
• Reset expectations
• Rebuild trust
• Restore engagement
• Establish sustainable ways of working
• Transform culture from the inside out

RESET is the foundation for Dawn’s keynotes, workshops, audits, and leadership programs.

RESET Method Flyer

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Let’s Build Something Better — Together

Looking for a leadership keynote speaker, workplace culture strategist, or organizational wellbeing consultant?

Book Dawn to Speak
Or inquire about RESET-based leadership programs.

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Where You’ve Seen Dawn

The Dawn Lab has partnered with public health agencies, nonprofit organizations, leadership programs, and national platforms. You can also connect with Dawn via:

The Better Boundaries Brief, a widely read blog on boundaries, ethics, and modern work
Work Is Third, a podcast exploring leadership, wellbeing, and how we live and work differently

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From Our Clients

Kate Holmes, Health Resources in Action

Dawn's expertise is wide-ranging and diverse, seamlessly integrating her impressive experience into trainings, resources, and keynotes on topics ranging from communications and messaging to ethics and equity.
What truly sets Dawn apart is her incredible ability to bring her work to life through her extensive practical experience. As a partner of the Dawn Lab, I am always confident that I can reach out to Dawn with any idea, knowing she will generously share her time and expertise to make it happen in ways I hadn't even considered.
Dawn is not just a colleague; she’s a trusted partner whose contributions make a real difference.
Dr. Susie Paterson, Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg

Dawn is an amazing action-oriented researcher and strategic thinker whose insight consistently elevate the quality of every project she leads. Her thoughtful partnership style helped to ensure that our project stayed on track and was impactful for our community. Working with Dawn brings both clarity and confidence to community-engaged work.
Sandy Stibitz, Program Manager, NCCPHT, National Network of Public Health Institutes

Dawn Hunter is such a pleasure to work with! In addition to her wealth of experience in public health law, Dawn is an expert facilitator with a talent for making material accessible and engaging. Dawn’s ability to see both the forest and the trees makes her a valued partner in both the planning and execution of projects. We can always count on Dawn for consistent quality work!
Maddy Frey, Frey Evaluation LLC

It has been such a joy and pleasure meeting and getting to work with Dawn Hunter over these last few years on our Fighting for Public Health initiative. When she joined the team, she brought a huge dose of strategic thinking as well as the ability to consistently and concretely center equity in our work. Her input and perspective helped our team connect our findings with audiences who cared, all while promoting and contributing to a culture of connection and healing. Dawn is one of my favorite colleagues ever, and I would welcome any opportunity to work with her again!
Participant in Civic Health, Voting, and Public Health: What's at stake in 2024

Dawn was a wonderful speaker and very knowledgeable and I loved her passion…Thank you for offering this important and relevant training. I learned a lot of new information!
Participant in Advancing Equity through Communication

This was such a wonderful an insightful training. People don’t have a structure for how they think about communications, and this offers such clear and concise information that we can use and apply to campaign initiatives and communications in general.

At the heart of Dawn’s work is a belief that the places we work and the way we lead can - and must - reflect our values.

Whether facilitating a workshop, building tools with a team, or guiding strategy behind the scenes, Dawn’s goal is always the same: to create space for transformation that’s both meaningful and manageable. The case studies below highlight what that looks like in action - real organizations, real impact, and real change.

Proof in Practice: Case Studies

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Strengthening Ethical Practice in Public Health

Ethical decision-making in public health is rarely simple—and as the field evolves, especially with new technologies and shifting infrastructure investments, public health leaders need clear, practical tools to navigate complex questions around equity, power, and responsibility.

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) contracted The Dawn Lab to provide technical assistance for Region 1 Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) activities. The aim: strengthen internal and external capacity for ethical analysis, organizational culture change, and responsible innovation across the region.

Learn more

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Walking the Walk with Equity Work:

Supporting Staff Wellness and Preventing Burnout

Nonprofit leaders—especially leaders of color—are on the frontlines of equity work, often without the internal supports they need. Chronic stress, unclear boundaries, and a culture of overwork contribute to burnout, undermining both staff wellness and mission impact. The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg recognized this challenge and launched a capacity-building initiative to support equity-centered organizational change from the inside out.

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