Dawn Strickland

Dawn Strickland, a native of Central Virginia, has over 30 years' experience with the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.  She has a heart to see barriers destroyed and bridges built for the purpose of creating a more caring, understanding, and compassionate world. graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.A. in Spanish and a Master's of Teaching degree. 

She also completed a Master's of Education in Spanish at Georgia Southern University.She has taught Spanish grammar and conversational classes in public and private elementary and secondary schools, has taught university and master’s level classes in Spanish, and has provided training for basic through advanced levels of proficiency in Spanish. For several year, she was an educational consultant and reader for the College Board’s Advanced Placement Spanish language exam. 

After teaching for several years at the post-secondary level, Dawn wanted to empower individuals to communicate effectively and confidently in Spanish. She became a nationally certified Command Spanish® instructor in April 2003. She has used CS® materials exclusively in a variety of workplace settings including construction, the court system, dental staff, human resources, retail, child care, international organizations, and educational institutions. She actively partners with the Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA) in central Virginia to deliver cross-cultural presentations for area businesses, customize and tailor occupational Spanish programs for clients and provide translation services. She has also translated safety orientation videos into Spanish and done the voice-over work for the local branch of a large corporation. 

Dawn and her husband served as cultural ambassadors to the international military families of Spain and Central and South America at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas while stationed there. She has traveled to Europe, Central and South America and the Caribbean and has many experiences and relationships with Hispanics/Latinos across the U.S. and around the world. In the spring of 2013, Dawn joined Greg Devlin and the Neon Tiki Tribe Group as their Spanish language translator for a series of character development books.

Dawn and her family moved to Costa Rica in 2018 and are enjoying pura vida there now.