Dawn Ray is a pop culture and college basketball enthusiast who thinks every life situation has a corresponding Seinfeld reference. Believing reputation is everything, she's devoted her professional career to brand reputation management. As the director of public relations for the Hilton Garden Inn brand, Dawn works to manage the reputation and provide hands-on guidance to more than 500 hotels globally. Never meeting a stranger and typically the first to spark discussion, Dawn also uses the online world to keep media updated on Hilton Garden Inn happenings and, most importantly, connect with the brand's guests from all over the world.
Dawn was destined for a career in public relations and when she ran her best friend's campaign for class president in the fifth grade, she knew she'd found her calling. Though that race was lost, a love for public relations and promotion was born. After studying public relations and sports marketing in college, Dawn began her career in public relations at a Memphis advertising agency. There, she sharpened her skills on such diverse industries as gaming, solid waste management, healthcare and public libraries.
Never letting tedious tasks or messy situations stand in her way, Dawn follows the philosophy of an old mentor who believed you should always "Eat Your Frogs," meaning: "Don't procrastinate. Get the worst task on your list completed at the very start of your day." Always remembering that brass frog that sat on the corner of her mentor's desk, Dawn eats her frogs every morning, washes them down with a hot cup of coffee and then takes pride in a job she loves. With experience at Hilton Worldwide working with the Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites and now Hilton Garden Inn brands, her wide range of understanding and dedication to the hospitality industry is key. Dawn's insights give her the ability to strategically grow the Hilton Garden Inn brand through public relations, which bolsters the brand's ever-increasing reputation.
Dawn holds a Master of Arts in public relations and a Bachelor of Arts in public relations with a minor in sports marketing from the University of Memphis. She is known as a mentor to others and has dedicated time as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis, teaching the next generation of public relations professionals. Also a dedicated wife to Tom, a jack-of-all trades, Dawn is the mother of two wonderful boys who light up the room and have never met a stranger, just like their mother. Tripp, age 5, is destined to run for U.S. President in 2044 and Zane is a laid-back baby whose sense of humor is already shining through at just 10 months old.
