2013 Ken & Toby Baker UND Proud Award

Dawn Pladson, Cost Manager, Budget Office

Dawn is one of those individuals that work behind the scenes conducting integral business without recognition. Her cooperative and friendly attitude combined with her technical abilities has established her as valuable asset to the University. In addition to her technical expertise, she demonstrates the highest level of interpersonal skills, thereby building and nurturing strong relationships both internal and external to UND. Her co-workers and supervisors alike have noted the she grasps complex problems and situations easily and is very willing to research areas that need greater guidance. Dawn is a "rare" accountant in her gift of working with numbers and the ability to explain complex accounting issues in a way that is crystal clear to non-accountants. She continually strives for the win/win result and clearly functions well in situations where preferences of several parties must be negotiated. She cultivates great working relationship as seen with UND's agent from the Department of Health and Human Services. A ND state auditor contacted the agent to ask him questions. The agent in-turned called Dawn to discuss the auditor's questions, knowing she was well versed on the subject and he knew her to be fair and honest. The relationship with this federal agency remains positive because of her informative and productive manner.

She works tirelessly to support her community in her "spare" time providing service to her church and school and to the people of the community. On any given evening you will find her at her sons' sporting events, at a church committee meeting, serving food at a local fundraiser, hosting a gathering for her book club, or working on the farm's taxes. She is faithful in raising money for people in financial need for various reasons, an avid organizer of benefits, and an organizer of meals for people in need, often doing most of the cooking herself.

A co-worker wrote "I just cannot say enough about Dawn. She is a role model to myself and so many others on campus and outside of UND."