Dawn Marie Yankeelov is the Chief Communications Officer for the Sheltowee Business Network LLC. Dawn brings clientele an in-depth knowledge of marketing, advertising and public relations tied to web strategy and business planning. She has run her own award-winning marketing firm, Aspectx, since 1989, specializing in high technology and health care. In 2014, she founded TALK, the Technology Association of Louisville Kentucky, an independent, employer-led tech council, active in tech public policy, STEAM, and workforce development issues. She serves as its executive director and chairman.
She was presented the Rose Award in 2015 by the City of Louisville for establishing a new tech event called Techfest under TALK, which also won a Google ecity award for the region. She is an active participant at the national level in TECNA, the Tech Councils of North America. Through her advocacy, the Kentucky Department of Education, and Jefferson County Public Schools worked with TALK and NICERC to establish the cyber engineering pathway for 9th-12th graders in 2017.
Yankeelov is an accomplished journalist, and has contributed to business and online publications, including Louisville, Business First, The Lane Report, Proud Green Building, and Tech Republic. She has assisted as a key organizer and speaker for a wide range of technology conferences for TALK, Public Relations Society of America, and other organizations.