Dawn Mayes
Dawn N. Mayes is the Director of Design Entrepreneurship and Inclusion at Kent State University, where she creates viable pipelines for HBCU students to attend graduate school, provides technical assistance to startup diverse Architecture firms including Black, Hispanic, Native American, and the Asian population, and brings lectures to the university to bring awareness to Design Entrepreneurship and Diversity.
As a serial entrepreneur, Dawn shares one of her natural born talents to promote healing communities. Her company, Designs by Danico is her online store that sells her original artwork on canvas. Her tagline,
“Healing People and Places Through Art”, allows her creative space to empower her audience. Her original works include intentional color selections, the use of symbolism, and Reiki to share messages of self-healing, self-care and empowerment. Dawn grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio.
She is an Army veteran, an artist, an entrepreneur, a proud Florida A & M University graduate, where she received her Bachelors of Architectural Studies, and an alumna of Kent State University, where she received her Masters in Architecture with a Certificate in Urban Design. In early 2022, she was also awarded an Artist Residency for Karamu House’s Resident in the House program. She is a charter member of the Greater Cleveland Chapter of FAMU National Alumni Association and serves as the chapter President.