Meet Rev. Dawn N. Jefferson
Rev. Dawn Jefferson is a graduate of Yale Divinity School, where she earned a Master of Divinity and was ordained in the United Church of Christ through the New Haven Conference. She answered her first call to ministry at Hope UCC in Alexandria, Virginia, where she served as Minister for Mission and Justice for four years.
A native of Westchester County, New York, Dawn earned her B.A. in English and American Studies at the University of Virginia, followed by an M.A. in Religion and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an M.A. in English from Middlebury's Bread Loaf School of English. She brings more than twenty years of experience in education. Her teaching and administrative career has spanned both coasts — from The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, to the Urban School of San Francisco — with a consistent focus on building community, advancing equity and inclusion, cultivating student leadership, and strengthening advising programs.
During her time at Yale Divinity School, Dawn's academic work took a deeply personal turn when both of her parents received dementia diagnoses. Her research in practical theology examined the intentional ministry offered to older adults and their caregivers, exploring the intersections of pastoral care and end-of-life theology. That work continues to shape her vocation today.
Dawn currently serves as Education and Support Coordinator at Insight Memory Care Center in Fairfax, Virginia, a nonprofit organization supporting families navigating dementia. There she provides education on dementia symptoms and behaviors, trains healthcare professionals as Certified Dementia Practitioners, facilitates family support groups, and offers consultation to families across every stage of the dementia journey — work she finds to be a profound calling.
She claims City of Refuge UCC, TFAM, Spring Glen UCC, and Pink Robe Chronicles as her spiritual family. Her creative passions include singing and worship, poetry, drama, and film. She is also a curious and enthusiastic explorer of technologies that connect communities, and loves visiting national and state parks. Dawn lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her wife, Marquita and their AussieDoodle, Vivian.