Dawn S. Reese,

Chief Executive Officer at the Wooden Floor

@DawnSReese

Dawn S. Reese, CFRE is the Chief Executive Officer of The Wooden Floor. She is a social innovator who leverages her unique blend of experience in business, technology, education, and the arts to propel young people forward. During Dawn’s 16-year tenure, she has led growth efforts to scale its impact, both locally by growing from 375 to nearly 500 students across two locations in Santa Ana, and nationally through its Licensed Partner program. The Wooden Floor has reached a new milestone of serving 100,000 young people since its founding in 1983. The Wooden Floor’s mission is to inspire and transform the lives of young people through the power of dance and access to higher education. Since 2005, 100% of the students who graduate from The Wooden Floor immediately enroll in higher education.  

Dawn has been honored with the following awards:  

2025 Inaugural Outstanding Nonprofit Leader Award by National Philanthropy Day Orange County; 2024 125 Most Influential People in Orange County by Orange County Register; 
2023 Empowering Lives Award by Templo Calvario;
2023 Sam Estes Award for Community Leadership by the Santa Ana Task Force;
2022 Orange County Visionary by the Los Angeles Times Orange County;
2020 Women of Distinction Award from 34th CA Senate District;
2019 Women Breaking Barriers Award from Connected Women of Influence;
2016 Center for Leadership Award for Innovation from California State University Fullerton; and 
2015 Nonprofit Person of the Year from Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce. 

Currently, Dawn serves on the Board of Directors for the Passkeys Foundation as Immediate Past Board Chair, OneOC as Audit Chair, Orange County Music and Dance as Board Treasurer, Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce as Board Chair-Elect, as well as Advisors in Philanthropy Orange County, OC Forum, MVS Foundation, and The Wooden Floor. Since 2018, Dawn has been the chair of the Santa Ana Youth Mental Health Sub-Committee for the Santa Ana Task Force, and she is a mental health and wellness advocate. Dawn is an author, mentor, consultant, and national conference presenter on the topics of leadership, strategic planning, board governance and board diversity, and fundraising. 

Prior to being promoted to Chief Executive Officer at The Wooden Floor in 2012, Dawn served as the Chief Financial Officer and General Manager from 2009-2011. Before joining The Wooden Floor, Dawn was the Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Opera Pacific, one of the top 15 opera companies in the US.  

Dawn began the first 10 years of her career with The Oaktree Consulting Group, a management consulting firm specializing in CEO Coaching for the high technology industry, and this is where she learned the best practices of business strategies and corporate governance.  

Dawn received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University Long Beach and she lives in Huntington Beach with her husband.