Dawn Hanson

Dawn grew up in Telkwa and moved to Vancouver to pursue post-secondary education. After 14 years in the city, she decided to return to Smithers for a year with her husband, to see how it went. Many years later they have built a house, are raising a daughter, and are happily situated on the banks of the Bulkley River in Telkwa. Dawn has a Bachelor of General Studies from Simon Fraser University, with Minors in Biology and Humanities. She studied Social Enterprise for Sustainable Community Development through SFU’s Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue Program, which morphed ideas of environmentalism and debate into sustainability and dialogue. Her work in the Bulkley Valley has included community development with a focus on health, community engagement envisioning the Skeena watershed and its residents in the year 2050, strategic planning for social and environmentally focused community organizations, and a diversity of project and event coordination.

In the summer, Dawn loves gardening and rock hunting on the river. In the winter she can be found playing women’s hockey, trying to keep up to her dog and daughter on the cross country ski trails and supporting Valley Youth Fiddlers as a Board member and parent.