Dawn Kraditor Waters

I've been the "voice" behind several successful organizations and have a reputation for crafting insightful messages that resonate; I avoid the predictable; seek smart solutions; am a stickler for accuracy; incorporate a sense of delight when appropriate, and am proud to have a history of building and mentoring great teams. Plus, I have a personal pipeline to countless talented creatives.

For nearly a decade, I planned and oversaw all communications for the top ranked public art school in the US, VCUarts. An award-winning team was built and we helped increase enrollment each year and met many other lofty goals. When I arrived, the school had no promotional material and an outsourced web site.

Talk about four interesting years. As assistant director for the country's leading graduate advertising program, I oversaw recruitment, admissions, student affairs, job and internship placement, the weekly speaker series and more. Part mom, part principal, I was the one who put out most fires and was responsible for internal communication for a notoriously tough audience.

The Virginia Commonwealth University Mass Comm director asked me to teach a new class called Curiousness. Why? She said I was the most curious person she knew (I think she meant it in a good way). I developed the curriculum loosely based on Made to Stick and was later asked by the art school to revamp the popular messaging & presentation class for art students. I taught for ten years, initially because "if someone asks you to do something that makes you nervous...do it."

So far, the reviews are good, (except for the person who can't believe a character's husband hits on his wife's friend. Really?) but the most rewarding thing about writing a novel is knowing that I finished something I've long wanted to do, and feel good about the outcome. 

I love trying new things. I've taken improv and belly dancing classes because they both scared the heck out of me, but they sounded fun. Recently, I've been creating art with fiber. I create paintings and portraits with wool and a felting needle. It's like tattooing with wool. I've even started painting with paint.