Dolla Dawson

Dolla Dawson is Chief Operating Officer and President of Business Operations at Milhouse Engineering & Construction, Inc., and its subsidiaries. She is responsible for aligning the organization’s strategic vision, cascading it to all team members, and steering the firm’s core business functions (including asset management, information technology, legal services, people & culture, and project development).

Dolla excels outside the prescribed boundaries of any given role. An overachiever by nature, she is known for her transformative influence on groundbreaking multinational corporations.

Entering Motorola Inc. as a credit analyst, she rapidly rose through the ranks of this telecommunications giant and was fast-tracked into the role of Product Operations Manager. During her tenure at Motorola, she received multiple recognitions, including the “Total Customer Satisfaction” and “Go for Gold Peak Performer” awards. In addition, her innovative, patented product-packaging design garnered a great deal of accolades.

When Dolla joined Milhouse as Marketing Director in 2007, the company had 30 team members. Within a year, she became Vice President of Business Operations. Today, Milhouse has over 350 team members, and it is the largest minority-owned engineering firm in the US and the largest African American-owned engineering firm in the world.

A native of the South Side of Chicago, Dolla’s success provides her with a unique perspective about the needs and challenges of her hometown, where she has become a sought-after speaker. Illinois American Water featured her in a corporate video addressing the need for diversity, and the Small Business Administration of Virginia featured her as a panel speaker. She has also spearheaded focus groups that highlight inclusion throughout the AEC industry, and she serves on the Board of Directors for two nonprofits whose main focus is giving back to her fellow Chicagoans.

Dolla has a Master of Business Administration degree from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago.