Rev. Dr. Dawn Chesser

Rev. Dr. Dawn Chesser is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, a third-generation minister, and a lifelong Arkansan. Over more than thirty years of ministry, she has served congregations, taught at the college and graduate levels, and held leadership roles across the United Methodist Church, including service at the denominational level supporting preaching, leadership development, and ministry formation. In 2024, she returned to Arkansas with her husband, Scot Danforth, and has since become deeply involved in grassroots organizing, civic engagement, and faith-based advocacy. As a founding member of Fort Smith Forward, Dawn has helped mobilize community members around issues of democracy, justice, and civic participation. Her commitment to social justice is rooted in both her faith and her Arkansas upbringing, where she learned that faith calls people beyond the walls of the church and into the work of justice, inclusion, and service. Guided by the United Methodist tradition of social holiness, she continues to bring together people of faith and goodwill to strengthen democracy and build a more just and compassionate Arkansas for all.