Kimberly Dawson, MLS
Matteson,IL
Summary
Dynamic DEI Advisor with a proven track record at CVS Health, driving operational excellence and strategic diversity initiatives. Expert in process improvements and stakeholder collaboration, enhancing vendor representation and compliance. Recognized for developing impactful training programs and metrics that foster inclusive environments, while mentoring teams to achieve organizational goals. Dynamic Procurement DEI Advisor with expertise in operational excellence and strategy development. Proven track record in driving diversity initiatives and fostering inclusive environments to enhance vendor representation in procurement processes.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
PROCURMENT DEI ADVISOR
ILLINOIS TOLLWAY
Downers Grove, USA
06.2024 - Current
- Developed innovative strategies to enhance vendor diversity in procurement processes.
- Built and refined systems including spreadsheets, dashboards, and SOPs for departmental support.
- Coached team leaders on accountability and performance management.
- Tracked and managed over 75 weekly follow-up items across various departments.
- Conducted regular check-ins with managers to ensure effective execution of initiatives.
- Designed events promoting diversity and inclusion within business environment.
- Drove initiatives to increase representation of diverse vendors in procurement activities.
- Enhanced operational efficiency through stakeholder collaboration on strategic infrastructure improvements.
DEI Certified Program Leader
GROUNDWATER INSTITUTE – THE RACIAL EQUITY INSTITUTE
Illinois, USA
01.2022 - Current
- Company Overview: DEI Training, Human Resources
- Selected by the CEO to lead immersive synchronous sessions designed to inspire executives and organizations to address the roots of inequity and move their organizations toward diversity, equity, and inclusive transformation, where everyone can thrive.
- DEI Training, Human Resources
Independent Strategy and Operations Consulting
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Downers Grove, USA
01.2019 - Current
- Company Overview: Government
- Hired by the Chief Administrative Officer to reduce HR operations cycle time and provide labor risk management consulting.
- Analyzed and reported agency diversity. Streamlined operational processes and reduced process time by activating a workflow tool within the HRIS, re-training managers, team leads, and analysts on the system, and updating procedures.
- Developed HR KPIs and Dashboards to track employee productivity and revised procedures to incorporate compliance with union contracts/labor laws relative to hiring/promotions.
- Government
Senior Advisor, Office of the Chief Health Equity Officer
CVS HEALTH
Illinois, USA
01.2021 - 01.2023
- Company Overview: Healthcare - Fortune 6 company committed to health equity
- Promoted by CVS’s CHEO to build the start-up Health Equity Department: business planning; create board, refine governance, implement community alliance program; develop communications plans/branding; design equity training, and interview/onboard new staff.
- Developed departmental strategy, governance design, and accountability strategies including policies and procedures to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility on the Health Equity Board of Directors across the organization.
- Led the Health Equity training strategy for CVS. Developed assessment surveys to gauge knowledge base before and after training.
- Developed budget. Consolidated cost centers. Enhanced line-item reporting. Led RFP processes, negotiated contracts, amendments, SOWs with 3rd parties. Created metrics/reporting. Led ideation/design of corporate-wide equity training program.
- Established the overarching criteria for an alliance with academic institutions to address the barriers to health in underserved communities across the country. Selected, interviewed, awarded, and onboarded new network of alliance members and staff.
- Healthcare - Fortune 6 company committed to health equity
Manager, Strategy and Innovation
CVS HEALTH
Illinois, USA
01.2021 - 01.2023
- Company Overview: Healthcare - Fortune 6 company committed to health equity
- Chosen by CVS’s PBM Director to oversee the capital management/business case for the PBM’s multi-million-dollar call center technology implementation, work across the enterprise to measure feature enhancements for clinical operations/project the return on investment.
- Maintained Business Case to track bottom line impact of global project. Defined metrics/quantified cost savings.
- Performed complex operational analysis and studies to determine root causes of issues in legacy system and worked with IT to automate enhancements to achieve operational efficiencies in new application.
- Analyzed pharmacist/agent user acceptance testing platforms and automation features to reduce errors/performance guaranty payouts and enhance customer interaction experience. Recommended the solutions with the most cost-effective attribution.
- Healthcare - Fortune 6 company committed to health equity
Independent Strategy and Operations Consulting
Himes Consulting Group
Illinois, USA
01.2019 - 01.2021
- Company Overview: Management Consulting - National firm focused on Blues Plans
- Hired by the CEO for program management of Blues Plans’ onboarding process improvements to enhance operating model.
- Identified root causes of operational inefficiencies. Leveraged technical expertise to identify new product solutions which provided operational process improvements. Incorporated best practices while maintaining confidentiality amongst plans.
- Enhanced data collection and reporting by engineering process transformation via automated workflows with QC check points which reduced errors, rework, AHT, cycle time, and ensured contract compliance.
- Created metrics/dashboards, enhanced operational reports to inform business decisions using an analytical approach.
- Management Consulting - National firm focused on Blues Plans
Strategist – Office of the President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
HEALTH CARE SERVICE CORPORATION
Chicago, USA
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Company Overview: Healthcare Industry - 5th largest insurer in US, health equity focused
- Promoted by the Chief of Staff to oversee projects for the President: analyze reporting, remedy operational issues, execute strategic vision and alignment and policy compliance, streamline CMO reporting, and manage high profile corporate sponsored events.
- Obtained competitive intelligence, researched/analyzed market data, DEI stats, regulatory requirements, operational, and financial results to develop ad hoc reporting and executive presentations for the IL plan president, C Suite, and board of directors.
- Led product design interventions to re-engineer products to comply with profit goals and better meet customer needs. Investigated unfavorable product performance metrics to determine root causes and led the design of the plan to remediate.
- Aligned health and wellness initiatives to corporate goals. Held strategy sessions with department heads to develop and provide guidance on goals. Ensured departments developed and retained key processes/procedures to ensure business continuity.
- Project Manager for the Health Equity Task Force’s Annual Summit, and the American Cancer Society’s 2019 Gala sponsored by HCSC.
- Healthcare Industry - 5th largest insurer in US, health equity focused
Strategist and Project Manager -Talent Acquisition
HEALTH CARE SERVICE CORPORATION
Chicago, USA
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Company Overview: Healthcare Industry - 5th largest insurer in US, health equity focused
- Hired by HR VP to create and independently manage the New Graduate Rotational Program for HCSC’s HR Department.
- Analyzed employee data against diversity goals. Devised recruitment strategy to hire diverse cohort of new graduates for IT. Provided thought leadership to HR, IT, Marketing, Communications to promote DEI new hire strategy.
- Reduced bias in the interview process by developing and deploying an electronic rubric scoring platform.
- Onboarded new hires, fellows, and interns. Worked with IT leaders to develop assessment criteria for new graduate program participants, career path, acceleration plan, and remediation plan. Mentored new graduates during their probationary period.
- Hailed as the MVP and key contributor for the program winning the 'Most Efficiently Managed Project of the Year' Award.
- Healthcare Industry - 5th largest insurer in US, health equity focused
Director of Operations and PMO
URBAN PARTNERSHIP BANK
Chicago, USA
01.2011 - 01.2016
- Company Overview: Financial Service - Chicago based bank focused on underserved neighborhoods
- Hired by the COO to lead PMO and Accounting/Finance, Loan, Treasury, Deposit Operations and liaise with IT.
- Led process improvement efforts to reduce loan closing cycle time, managed RFP process, implementations/deployments, operational audits for state/federal regulatory compliance, and special projects such as bank integrations, and product launches.
- Ensured regulatory compliance through internal audits, policy/procedure reform and training, and establishment of QC department.
- Advanced diversity by designing and leading recruitment strategy. Promoted equity and inclusion via participation in observances, volunteerism in underserved communities of various racial and ethnic backgrounds, and internal departmental celebrations.
- Reduced attrition by creating Operational Ambassadors who rotated between departments and moved into leadership positions within the bank upon completion of the rotation.
- Financial Service - Chicago based bank focused on underserved neighborhoods
Education
Master of Dispute Resolution -
Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
Malibu, CA05-2026
Master of Legal Studies - Law and Policy
Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
Malibu, CA05-2025
DEI Certified Program Leader -
Groundwater in Partnership With The Racial Equity Institute
Remote, ILBachelor of Administration, BA - Business/Accounting
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, INSkills
- Operational Excellence
- Process Improvements
- Strategy Development
- DEIA Strategy/Planning/Training
- Business Case
- Budgeting
- Finance
- KPIs/ Metrics
- Dashboards
- Business Analysis
- Executive Presentations
- Restructuring
- Change Management
- Regulatory Compliance
- Policies/Procedures
- Risk Management
- Negotiations
- Contracts
- Vendor Management
- Implementations
- Complex Project Management
- Workforce Management
- Mentoring
- Human Resource Management
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Outlook
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Teams
- Access
- SharePoint
- SharePoint Designer
- Visio
- Project
- Dynamics
- CRM
- Salesforce
- SAP
- SAP/HANA
- PeopleSoft
- GoToMeeting
- WebEx
- Zoom
- Compass
- PeopleSafe
- Mattersight
- RxClaim
- Taleo
- ODM
- UltiPro
- Sage
- ADP
- Tableau
- MicroStrategy
- CMM-I
- ISO
- Agile
- Scrum
- Six Sigma
- Lean
- Kanban
- Waterfall
Timeline
PROCURMENT DEI ADVISOR
ILLINOIS TOLLWAY
06.2024 - Current
DEI Certified Program Leader
GROUNDWATER INSTITUTE – THE RACIAL EQUITY INSTITUTE
01.2022 - Current
Senior Advisor, Office of the Chief Health Equity Officer
CVS HEALTH
01.2021 - 01.2023
Manager, Strategy and Innovation
CVS HEALTH
01.2021 - 01.2023
Independent Strategy and Operations Consulting
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
01.2019 - Current
Independent Strategy and Operations Consulting
Himes Consulting Group
01.2019 - 01.2021
Strategist – Office of the President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
HEALTH CARE SERVICE CORPORATION
01.2017 - 01.2019
Strategist and Project Manager -Talent Acquisition
HEALTH CARE SERVICE CORPORATION
01.2017 - 01.2019
Director of Operations and PMO
URBAN PARTNERSHIP BANK
01.2011 - 01.2016
Master of Dispute Resolution -
Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
Master of Legal Studies - Law and Policy
Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
DEI Certified Program Leader -
Groundwater in Partnership With The Racial Equity Institute
Bachelor of Administration, BA - Business/Accounting
University of Notre Dame