CUNY SPS and ILS Leadership

Dawn Picken

Senior Program Director

Dawn has more than 20 years of experience in learning and development in the higher ed, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. Over her 15-year tenure at CUNY SPS, she has created, launched, and managed numerous credit-bearing certificates and noncredit learning programs, designed to enhance the professional development of adult learners, across a variety of sectors. In her current role, she provides strategic support to ILS’s partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity, including the Unlocking Employment e-learning course, for workforce development professionals supporting clients with involvement in the criminal legal system; the Managing for Innovation leadership development program for nonprofit providers and city agency partners; and the Academy for Community Behavioral Health. Dawn holds a BA in sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.