Walter Dawson’s path to his career as an executive at Genesis Motor America began at an HBCU. Now a strong leader at a thriving and progressive company, Dawson recently stopped by rolling out to discuss it all.
How did attending an HBCU shape your professional network?
The spirit of an HBCU is always [about making connections].
So, I connected with people I would not have had the opportunity to meet from different parts of the country. In my situation, at the AUC in Atlanta, I connected with and made lifelong friends and colleagues. Now, I’m able to reach out to them when there are different business opportunities or needs, and they reach out to me, as well, when they have someone they’re mentoring and they need help with that, or career opportunities, anything like that.
It’s just a matter of the connection.
And, of course, attending an HBCU, the education is top-notch. As you know, Clark Atlanta University produces more African American MBAs than any other university in the country, so I’m proud of that fact.
What is the benefit of having an advanced degree?
It goes beyond just your regular BA or BS degree. I think your undergrad helps you to understand, but with your advanced degree, it’s all about thinking strategically. It’s not just problem-solving, but designing processes, systems and structures for long-term success.
That’s really what your advanced degree is doing. Clark was really good at that when we had to do game theory and all the different projects working together with our team on our capstone project. We had some really great professors there like Dr. Edwards, who I believe is still there at Clark Atlanta. They put all these programs together, and it was really about stretching you to help you.
I remember we had a four-hour statistics class on Saturday. One day, we went over one problem, by hand, for four hours. At the end of the class, he had us pull out our scientific calculators and we all ended up with the same answer within five minutes. That’s the difference in an advanced degree; it teaches you about the process of the results and not just the results.
What did it mean to you when Genesis put you in a leadership position?
That was a surreal moment for me because I viewed it as a culmination of all my experiences with every organization I worked with throughout the automotive industry. I’m in automotive, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. So, I’m blessed and fortunate that I’m able to spend as much time in automotive as I have.
Throughout my career, I’ve learned, adapted, applied, and went back to school for more education, and more training. Then, I had that crowning moment when they called me into the office and offered me a senior leadership position in the company.
It was a special moment. It was a rewarding moment. I thought about my mother and my father. I thought about elementary, middle school, high school, and college. I thought about Clark Atlanta University. I thought about everything that got me to that point.
It’s a proud moment, but also a humbling one, because you feel the weight of leadership on your shoulders.
I’m extremely happy and proud to be an executive with Genesis Motor America. We’re doing wonderful things, and we’ll continue doing wonderful things.
What does the Genesis Inspiration Foundation mean to you?
It’s a joint partnership between Genesis Motor and our dealer partners.
A portion of every vehicle sold goes through the Genesis Inspiration Foundation, where we inspire youth through the arts.
We go into underserved communities, and as you probably know, in public schools, the first thing that gets cut when they cut budgets is the arts. Whether it’s dance, band, theater, drama, you name it, those arts programs are the first to get cut.
So we want to make sure we partner with local organizations in the communities where we do business and provide grants to those organizations.
We’ve done several here in Atlanta to provide arts programs for the youth. It’s a great way to keep those young minds busy, and for them to express themselves.
