It’s a new Dawn

Dawn Carter-McDonald, daughter of a pioneering Pentecostal minister, was recently appointed Chief Executive of the London Borough of Hackney. Juliet Coley charts her rise

It was early 1966, and Reverend Isaac Newton Carter, founder of the New Testament Church of God, Wood Green, north London, and his pregnant wife, Enid Merinda, were advised by medical professionals to have an abortion, as the baby she was carrying would be born with Down’s Syndrome.

They were a praying couple with strong faith and believed they would have a healthy seventh child. To support this, Reverend Carter spent the remaining months of his wife’s pregnancy preparing greens, herbs, and juicing fruit and vegetables for her.

In December, at 6pm, in the Mothers’ Hospital in Hackney, a healthy baby girl was born – without the expected developmental delays and, as the nurse handed the crying newborn to her proud parents, she said: “Can you hear that new dawn?”

It seemed natural after this comment to call their miracle baby Dawn and, as in birth, she went on to exceed expectations, while making a difference.

As a child, she learned the importance of community from her father, who had great passion for the community and was filled with a fervent sense of justice. He had grown up in a radical household and was never afraid to speak his truth but would always do so with respect. He also felt strongly that all his children should have a personal relationship with God.

Whenever Dawn and her siblings woke up in the mornings and were told that the front room was “out of bounds”, they instantly knew he had invited a person on the streets into their home to give them shelter and food.

In her teens, Dawn dreamed of being a lawyer, something her father believed she would excel in, as he said: “She would always argue back.” However, her career advisor did not agree and suggested she apply for a job at the High Street supermarket chain Fine Fare and “if she was lucky” she would be a manager.

Dawn went on to study law, graduated from law school and worked for a small law firm before starting her 22-year journey with Hackney Council.

Her father retired from ministry in February 1995 and died the following year. He would have been so proud to know what his daughter had achieved in the borough she was born in. Sadly, he never got to see her qualify as a lawyer, but knew she was on her way and that there was nothing she could not achieve.

Dawn’s first role in Hackney was as a Child Protection Solicitor rising to Director of Legal, Democratic and Electoral services. For work-life balance she would compartmentalise work at work, and at home she would do home. Rarely would these roles overlap.

In the early days, her mum was her rock, and she would collect her grandchildren from school and have them in the evenings when Dawn had late meetings. In 2005, her mum had a stroke and the roles reversed, so whilst juggling her professional career, Dawn and her children cared for her mum.

In October 2023, Dawn Carter-McDonald was appointed interim Chief Executive of Hackney Council. Her incredibly proud children believed she could do the role, and encouraged her to try it for six months and see.

After 10 months and a tough recruitment process, Dawn Carter-McDonald was appointed Hackney Council’s permanent Chief Executive. She is the face of Hackney Council and is responsible for the 4,000 diverse workforce and executives, along with developing the vision and plans to secure a high performing and well-managed authority. Within Hackney, there is a melting pot of many cultures and Dawn has found commonality among the rich cultural mix, aware that people have more in common than what divides.

She would tell young girls who look like her to believe in themselves, because there are going be days when they walk into rooms and no one wants to hear what they are saying, but they should remember they also belong there and have a right to heard.

Dawn’s faith has helped her to be resolute. Along with having a seat at the top table, she was ordained a minister in 2023. She would love her legacy to be able to inspire people from the community. She wants them to know that with Christ you can smash through the glass ceiling and at the same time pull people who are behind her up the career ladder.

She recognises the opportunities that her role brings, but that it also brings challenges. God gave her the Bible verse Proverbs 3:5–6 to hold onto whenever the going got tough. And she is reminded all the time how far her ‘Trust in the Lord…’ Scripture has taken her and, just as importantly, where it will continue to lead her.

Juliet Coley BCAe is an educator and publisher of books written by Black children. Visit www.younglitstars.com