Dawn Jahn Moses ’88

Dawn Moses, a fierce advocate for homeless children and families, died June 6, 2012, following a four-year struggle with cancer.

Dawn joined our class from Princeton, N.J. Her quick smile, easy laugh, and self-deprecating charm made us feel right away that we’d all known each other forever. As a sophomore, Dawn was elected class social chair, with the unforgettable “Don’t yawn; vote Dawn” campaign. She joined Elm Club and was a residential adviser in Rockefeller College and then an independent in Spelman. Junior year she participated in founding the Urban Action Program, the inner-city counterpart to Outdoor Action. Dawn majored in history and earned a certificate in women’s studies. She later completed a master’s degree in public affairs at the University of Texas.

Dawn spent her career in government and nonprofit work focused on the interrelatedness of homelessness, poverty, trauma, and mental illness. She worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was a policy adviser to Tipper Gore. In 1995, she became vice president of the National Center on Family Homelessness.

Surviving are Dawn’s husband, James Barringer Moses ’88; children Georgia and Henry; her father, Robert Jahn ’51 *55, Princeton professor of aerospace science and dean emeritus; and siblings Eric Jahn ’79, Jill Jahn ’80, and Nina Jahn Gustin ’84.