Thomas C. Dawson is president of Strada Collaborative, a nonprofit group of education-focused organizations — CAEL, Education at Work, InsideTrack, and Roadtrip Nation — for which he is responsible for ensuring they meet their growth, sustainability, and impact goals. In 2021, Dawson served as Strada Education Foundation’s interim president and chief executive officer following four years as Strada's executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Before joining Strada, Dawson was vice president, product management, for Laureate Education, where he established partnerships with nonprofit universities to run online and global education programs. While at Laureate, Dawson also was a senior fellow with Education Sector, a national think tank.
He also served for several years as a senior policy officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, helping to launch the foundation’s postsecondary education grantmaking portfolio, and overseeing grants dedicated to helping low-income students complete postsecondary programs.
Earlier in his career, Dawson worked in several capacities at the U.S. Department of Education, including as deputy assistant secretary for postsecondary education.
Dawson graduated cum laude from Claremont McKenna College with honors degrees in government and economics. He serves on the board of SmartJob, a global company dedicated to closing the disability wealth gap by making jobs “smarter,” through expanded investment, access to financial services, and better public policy.