Dawn Yerger

Speaker, Author, Coach

Dawn Yerger, MSW is young visionary that was born with an entrepreneurial spirit.  Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, her belief is that we all are diamonds, just at different stages.  Since an early age, she has held a strong desire to be of service to God and those around her.

Dawn is the president and CEO of Dawn Yerger Enterprises, the parent company of DiamondMind Coaching & Consulting, The Urban Diamond Foundation, Thrifty Fifty Social Shopping Network, Thrifty Fifty Giving, P.O.L.I.S.H.ed Events and the Black Social Entrepreneurs Association.  She is also the resident career and business coach for EliteSplits.com, a job search site for executives and business professionals and a regular contributor to HybridMom.com and MsCareerGirl.com.

She earned both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago.  Dawn's experience in  nonprofit management and leadership spans over 18 years, including her experience in starting her first nonprofit organization at the age of nine.  It is her personal mission to bring out the best in herself and others through connection to our inner and outer diamonds.

Dawn is also the creator of the P.O.L.I.S.H.ed framework, a six-step strategic coaching and consulting model on which all of her services and programs are based. She is also the founder and Executive Director of the Urban Diamond Foundation, a fundraising and philanthropic organization focusing on community development, historic preservation, youth philanthropy, and youth entrepreneurship for inner-city communities. 

Dawn is currently working on her first book, “The Brink: How Women Entrepreneurs Resurrected Their Businesses & How You Can Do the Same” featuring the stories of prominent women entrepreneurs, which is due to launch Fall 2009.  She is also studying to complete her PhD in Holistic Life Coaching and resides in Northwest Indiana with her daughter Khailah.