Dawn Hiles' passion is the reason she believes leadership opportunities continue to come her way.
"Passion is often confused with the act of being enthusiastic or excited," says Hiles, who began serving as Drury University's dean of admissions on Sept. 8. "I instead view passion as a critical part of my decision-making and communication process, through which I demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities."
It's that passion, she explains, that drives her to devote as many hours as needed to civic and nonprofit endeavors and her work, as well as encouraging those she works with to set high expectations for success.
"Without passion, there is only a process that, at best, guarantees the completion of a task, not true leadership," Hiles says.
She received her undergraduate degree in business from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and earned a master's degree in business administration from Drury University. Before joining Drury - first as the director of its MBA program before being named executive director of Drury's Edward Jones Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in 2007. Hiles also held several positions at Students in Free Enterprise, the last of which was managing director of development.
At Drury, she also has taught classes for the MBA program and Breech School of Business Administration.
"My position at Drury is a testament to the students I mentor that following a conventional path is not the only path to professional success," Hiles says. "I am able to demonstrate to them that by remaining faithful to their core conviction - passion - and accepting every leadership opportunity that comes along, success is sure to follow."
Hiles is especially excited about her work with the Women's Entrepreneurship Symposium, the idea for which was born during a trip to China last year with female business leaders from Springfield.
Hiles volunteered to spearhead the creation of the conference, which focuses on educating women who own or want to own a business.
"WES is my proudest accomplishment as a leader and a woman for two reasons," she says. "Every woman who attended as a speaker, volunteer or attendee was encouraged by the conference (and) we laid the foundation for an annual event. WES 2010 is coming in January. I believe this conference will generate returns for female entrepreneurs."
Hiles is president and a founding member of the Springfield Angel Network, a partnership between Drury, Missouri State University and Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce that seeks to match entrepreneurs with investors. She's also involved with the Summer Scholars program, which gives Pipkin Middle School students a chance to experience college life through Drury, and she assists with the Red Flag Challenge, a partnership between Community Foundation of the Ozarks and Drury.[[In-content Ad]]
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