Dawn C. Scott (she/her/hers) is the Fellowship Program Manager for the Defender Services Office (DSO) at the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Prior to this position, she served as a DSO Budget Analyst, providing guidance on budget and staffing to a portfolio of federal defender offices.
Before joining DSO in June 2020, she served as the Administrative Officer for the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Virginia from July 2012 until June 2020. Prior to that role, she served as Clerk of Court for the Campbell County Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court in Rustburg, Virginia from 2003-2012, overseeing all aspects of court administration, including financial and personnel management. From 1996-2003, she served as the first Director of the Victim/Witness Assistance Program for the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Bedford City/County, Virginia, creating policies and procedures and providing direct services to victims and witnesses of crime.
Dawn holds a Master’s degree in Justice Administration, with her capstone paper examining the vital role of indigent defense in the criminal justice system, and a B. A. in Criminal Justice. She has an amazing son, Dane, who is an aspiring animator, and a spoiled rotten dog named Finney, who rules the roost. She resides in Washington, D. C.
