If you have been by the Grange Insurance Audubon Center recently, you may have noticed a new face. Dawn Tabata joined National Audubon as the Executive Director of Grange Insurance Audubon Center May 31. Dawn succeeds Christie Vargo, who has taken a well-earned retirement!
Dawn has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit management and fundraising in conservation, higher education and healthcare. She has worked extensively with individuals, corporations, foundations and non-profits to realize their philanthropic goals. Dawn has led charitable organizations in raising funds through capital campaigns, major gift solicitations, annual campaigns, cause-related marketing and special events.
For more than 15 years, Dawn served as Assistant Vice President of Development at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. For five years, she served as the Director of Philanthropy for The Nature Conservancy Ohio Chapter. Most recently, she was Senior Director of Development for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State.
Dawn is a graduate of The Ohio State University where she completed her bachelors of science in the Fisher College of Business and pursued coursework at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. While a native of St. Louis, Missouri, she has called Columbus home for more than 30 years.
A nature and conservation enthusiast, Dawn enjoys experiencing and sharing with her husband and two children the benefits of Central Ohio’s natural beauty and diverse culture. She can often be found birding, hiking, or kayaking on
Pelee Island, in the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, or her own backyard. Stop in to welcome Dawn next time you are at the Center!