Dawn Knickerbocker | Waaseyaaban
Light at first dawn. A home for the stories I carry, the work I do, and the futures I believe in.
Meet Dawn
I help people and organizations move with greater clarity, accountability, and care. My work sits at the intersection of sovereignty, story, and systems that are built to serve, not control.
I grew up on a farm, where I learned by watching what grows when we take care, and what withers when we don’t. I’m an Anishinaabe woman, a mother, a strategist, and a writer. I’ve led national campaigns, designed funding systems, and raised children in a world that often refuses to see them. All of that lives in how I lead, how I listen, and how I build.
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This isn’t just a profession. It’s a way of being.
How To Work With Me
I offer what I’ve spent a lifetime building: wisdom shaped by experience, strategy rooted in equity, and leadership that doesn’t separate heart from action. These offerings are designed for institutions, funders, leaders, and collaborators ready to do deep work and do it well. I work in service to systems change, but also in service to my own flourishing. I believe our communities deserve to be well-resourced, and so do those of us doing the work to carry that vision forward.
Consulting & Strategy
Trust-based philanthropy. Indigenous equity frameworks.
Strategic guidance for funders and institutions.
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I partner with those shaping systems, from foundations, intermediaries, and coalitions, to design funding models rooted in reciprocity, sovereignty, and self-determination.
Speaking & Facilitation
Keynotes. Panels. Workshops. Leadership gatherings.
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I speak from the heart, with clarity and conviction. My sessions open space for dialogue, reflection, and collective visioning, which is guided by ancestral wisdom and the urgency of now.
Thought Work
Strategic clarity. Cultural grounding.
Leadership that honors our future.
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I help leaders, boards, and institutions reflect deeply and lead wisely. Through coaching, frameworks, and facilitated inquiry, we work together to build cultures of care, purpose, and accountability. This is where reflection meets action.
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