Meet Dawn Slaven

Q: What do you do for a living, Dawn? 

I work for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within the Department of Homeland Security. In my 15+ years with the agency I’ve worn a lot of different hats, including community relations, writing policy and procedures, and managing programs such as outreach events and naturalization ceremonies. 

My current role is focused on detecting fraud and national security vulnerabilities with immigration benefit applications and my team manages a SharePoint site to facilitate these efforts. 

Q: What led you to join the U.S. Air Force, and how did your experiences there shape your perspective on life and leadership?

I come from a working-class family out of Cleveland, Ohio who traditionally didn’t attend college for a variety of reasons, but many family members had served in the military. I attended high school in the mid to late 90s; during that time there was a big push to go to college. A high school vocational program would’ve been great for me, but those types of programs were being marginalized because the emphasis was on college-prep academics. So, I didn’t get that opportunity while in high school.  At the time, I realized that trying to go to college right after graduation didn’t make sense for me. I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to pursue, and my parents didn’t have the means to pay for college. 

Joining the military was the best option for practical job training, and I thought that perhaps I could get some help paying for college, if I decided to go later. In retrospect enlisting in the Air Force was the best decision of my life thus far. The training and experience I gained in the military opened the door to so many opportunities. I was also stationed and deployed overseas, so was able to see the world from different perspectives and interact with many different cultures – and be the “outsider” in those cultures, not always welcomed with open arms by the people there. 

Coming from a relatively homogenous Midwest background, this really opened my eyes to how fortunate Americans are and how many opportunities we have in this country. It helped me understand why so many people work so hard for a chance to live and work in the United States. These experiences led me to pursue a career in immigration policy. 

Q: Do you believe women face unique challenges in the military? How do these challenges influence your current work with veterans?

Women absolutely face challenges in the military just for being female! We have to work that much harder to “prove” our competence in many job specialties. There are still instances of sexual harassment and military sexual trauma (MST). 

Through the years I’ve been told to keep quiet, patronized, or just plain ignored by my fellow veterans, especially older veterans.

That said, the environment for women who are serving is improving – those who served before me helped pave the way for me. I tried to pave some of that way for women who came after me, and I hope their experiences were better as a result. 

It’s so important for women veterans to remain involved in their community and especially in their local veterans’ organizations such as the VFW, DAV, etc. We need more female voices! 

Through my involvement with the Women Veterans Network of the Executive Office of Veterans Services, serving as a trustee of the Soldier’s Home in Chelsea, and as a Massachusetts ambassador for the Military Women’s Memorial, I am a voice for women veterans. 

Q: You were on stage at the recent signing of the HERO Act by Governor Maura Healy.  What will that bill do, and why was it so essential?

Yes, that was an exciting day, and the Massachusetts veteran community is so glad to see the HERO Act (Honoring, Empowering, and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans) signed into law! It was an important step in improving the welfare of veterans through expanded benefits. 

One great thing about the Act is that it gives municipalities such as Watertown the flexibility to lower some costs for veterans, things like property taxes and parking fees. These costs add up and every little bit helps! This area doesn’t have a large proportion of veterans, but the more incentives there are, the more desirable it will be for veterans to live here. 

Q: What do you think makes Watertown special? 

So many things! I love that it’s a multicultural community with all types of languages spoken by residents here. We have a good mix of people who have been here for generations as well as new folks. The library is fantastic and the Armenian grocery stores are a huge asset, especially to the east end. I’m so happy that we’re replacing old school buildings with shiny new ones – with all the young families moving in, this is a great investment for our town and future generations. 

Q: What do you think are the most pressing needs for our community? What ideas do you have to address them?

The cost of housing – everyone should be concerned about that. It’s wonderful if you’re selling a house, but not so great if you’re trying to buy or rent! In terms of housing costs, I would like to see property owners put themselves in the shoes of prospective renters – for example I don’t think it is reasonable to pass their realtor fees onto renters. There is a range in the “market rate” rent amount – property owners could set the amount at the lower end, rather than the higher end of that range. These are a few things that could help their fellow community members in this tough housing market. I’m involved with the Housing for All Watertown, which supports and advocates for a better housing environment for all residents. 

I’m concerned about all the development – when I moved here a decade ago, things looked much different than they do now. I’m not opposed to development, but I question if every inch needs to be developed? We need to analyze if the projects will truly benefit our community – and examine how similar projects have impacted neighboring communities. 

Also, some of the road projects are not well-coordinated. Living on Dexter Ave, I need to take either School Street or Mt. Auburn Street for most places I’m going. There have been times when segments of both streets were closed or being worked on at the same time. Getting to and from my house can really be challenging with the constant construction and roadwork! I’m also apprehensive about the big Mt. Auburn Street “road diet” project and the impact it will have on residents. 

Q: What are your hobbies? 

I enjoy being outside when the weather is nice, gardening, watching waterfowl down by the river, and cooking. I like to take advantage of local festivals, museums, and events – there’s always something fun and interesting to do!