Lin Dawson brings 30 years of athletic administration, corporate training and program oversight, civic leadership, innovative DEI deliverables, and curriculum development experience to Saint Augustine’s University.
As the Director of Athletics at Clark Atlanta University from November 2015 to May 2022, the Department of Athletics experienced the following:
· Athletic Facility Enhancements ($2.4 million)
· Two Student-athletes as Valedictorians (2016, 2021)
· Academic Success Rate (ASR) increased from 41 percent to 74 percent
· All Teams with 3.0 Grade Point Average or Better
· 84 Percent of Student-athletes with 3.0 Grade Point Average or Better
· Averaged 30+ Graduates Last Three Years
· 132 Student-athletes Named to SIAC All-Academic Team in 2022
· Gained 14 Corporate Partnerships
· SIAC Championships (WBB, MBB, WTEN, and CHEER)
· Scholarships grew from (52) in 2015 to (82)
Dawson was appointed to the NCAA D-II Management Council (2018) and served on the Infractions Appeal Committee, Chair, Sportsmanship, and Ethics Committee, and the new Implementation Committee (December 2021).
Dawson brings a twenty-year teaching record, course design, curriculum development, and evaluation to Saint Augustine’s University. His most recent work includes teaching in the MBA (4 years) Sports Entertainment Management Program at Clark Atlanta University and designing a Sports and Entertainment Management curriculum for Miles College.
After a four-year career at NC State University, the NFL’s New England Patriots drafted Dawson, where he played ten seasons as a tight end. During his tenure with the Patriots, he served as team chaplain (six years) and player representative (four years). He was an integral part of the team’s success for ten seasons including the Patriots' 1986 AFC Championship and Super Bowl XX appearance. He was voted to the New England Patriots "Team of the '80s."
Following his NFL career, Dawson pioneered innovative designs and strategic implementations of leadership diversity initiatives for collegiate athletic departments and professional sports. Dawson served as a consultant to more than 40 universities in student-athlete development, team performance, leadership development, conflict resolution, and recruiting. He, along with Dr.
Richard Lapchick, is credited with developing the country's first DEI training for collegiate and professional sports organizations. As the senior facilitator and program designer, Dawson assisted the NBA and Major League Soccer in launching their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In addition, he serves as an organizational leadership consultant to Top Fortune 500 companies, civic organizations, and the military.
Dawson has conducted global conferences for John Deere, Disney’s Institute, the NBA, Valley Road National Youth Conference (Kenya), and Ministry to the Motherland (Zimbabwe).
He and Dr. Jim Seymour, who serves on the faculty of Sant Augustine’s University, facilitated a Reconciliation Conference for Tribal Leaders after the political violence in Kenya devastated the country. The Kenyan Community Development Fund and the World Bank sponsored the conference.
Dawson received many awards and commendations from The White House, the Anti-Defamation League, the National Football League, NCAA Division I-A Athletic Directors Association, The Peter F. Drucker Foundation, The Boston Herald American, and the National Consortium for Academics and Sports. He is a member of the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame and an Inaugural Member of the Kinston-Lenoir County Sports Hall of Fame. Dawson holds three ordinations and has preached and delivered workshops in more than 200 churches worldwide.
He co-founded Train Them Up nonprofit organization with his wife, Margo. He purchased (2013) his former elementary school in Kinston, NC, to serve as an operation site to launch STEM-based educational programs from the Triangle to eastern NC.
Dawson holds an MBA in Human Resource Management and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. He and his wife (Margo) of 37 years have three adult children, twin granddaughters, and one grandson.
