During this Black History Month, CS Energy wants to spotlight an influential black woman in our company, Dawn Robinson. Dawn is CS Energy’s Director of Human Resources and Communications. She has over 15 years of global business experience. A strategic thinker with a can-do attitude, she provides strategic direction for talent acquisition, human resources, and communications programs for CS Energy, both for internal employee engagement and external public relations. Dawn also plays a key role in the development and execution of integrated communications plans in line with the company’s mission and business priorities, collaborating with key external stakeholders such as technology and business media.
Dawn has successfully led HR departments within high-growth businesses throughout the last decade. She has been instrumental in building teams, both domestically and abroad. Operating in the EPC and renewable energy business, she is uniquely adept at employee relations, attraction and attrition associated with, and related to, this industry. Dawn has vast experience closely collaborating with key decision-makers at companies to strategically align goals and objectives, while ensuring legal compliance. Dawn also has, and continues to be, an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to ensure that she is always apprised of the latest issues and practices impacting ever-evolving workplaces.
In spite of the obstacles that the COVID-19 global pandemic brought, and along with two other female managers at CS Energy, Dawn also launched CS Energy’s Women in Renewable Energy (CS Energy WiRE) mentorship program and employee resource group in the spring of 2020.
CS Energy WiRE was formed to provide support to, as well as increase the number of, women employed by CS Energy and within the renewable energy industry. CS Energy WiRE, with Dawn’s guidance, has been able to engage CS Energy’s female employees and provide them with the tools needed to grow both professionally and personally through a network of support and mentoring. Dawn’s significant contribution to creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace has already led to more productive staff at CS Energy.
CS Energy WiRE Founding Members. Left to right: Diana Palazzi Mery (Executive Vice President of Accounting & Finance), Janani Ramkumar (Director of Preconstruction), and Dawn Robinson (Director of HR & Communications)
An active and dedicated participant in community service, Dawn strongly believes in giving back through volunteer work such as helping to feed the homeless, Back-to-School drives, clothing drives, and donations to numerous relief funds to help those who are in need in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Africa, Texas, and New Jersey. Dawn also provides support to the youth at her church as well as assistance and services to senior citizens, such as meals, and visits to homes and hospitals.
2019 Back to School Drive – Boys and Girls Club of Plainfield, NJ
One of Dawn’s proudest accomplishments is the creation of Lifeline Mentoring Group, a non-profit organization, in 2006 with her family. Throughout the course of a decade, the organization mentored a total of 65 underprivileged children/teens in the Middlesex County, New Jersey area, who had regular access to six mentors. The goal of the program was to provide the kids with role models that can support them academically, socially, and personally. The program also partnered with Edison Township, Edison Police, and Edison Board of Education to help build a better relationship with the community and schools, as well as to provide other services to help local families and the larger community.
Dawn speaking at a youth empowerment seminar in Ghana.
Dawn’s admirable community efforts are not limited to her hometown, state, or country though. While traveling to Ghana on a work assignment in 2013, Dawn began to learn more about the local culture and the people. The more Dawn met with the locals, the more she realized that the young women of the community faced a multitude of challenges stemming from an overall lack of empowerment. Dawn developed great relationships with fifteen young ladies and their families and sought to help them achieve their dreams, goals, and aspirations in life – both personally and professionally. Dawn was able to help several of these women start their own businesses, which have been very successful to this date. Dawn also paid tuition for many of them to graduate high school, as well as attend college and nursing school. Dawn remains in close communication with these women on a regular basis through phone, video chats, and her trips to Ghana.
Dawn with six young ladies she spent time mentoring, assisted with their education and helped two start their own business.
Dawn Robinson is a successful and dedicated human resources and clean energy professional as well as a community leader. She is committed to excellence in every aspect of her life and is always available to help those in need. Dawn’s generosity, selflessness, and kind heart are an inspiration to all, and CS Energy is immensely proud to have Dawn a part of its team.