Dawn Winalski (she/her)


Launching a new business soon! Stay tuned! 

If you have questions, you can reach me at dawn [at] dawnwinalski.com

About Me: Throughout my career, I have worked with a wide range of organizations, from a county-level government with a land area the size of Utah to non-profits just starting out. And I have lived in many parts of the United States — from New England to Atlanta to Oregon to the Alaskan Arctic and back to Oregon.

  • I started out as a scientist, working in the field as a stream ecologist, in the laboratory analyzing water samples, and with state and federal agencies.
  • As a lawyer, I spent nearly four years in Arctic Alaska and working as an Assistant Borough Attorney for the North Slope Borough. We had polar bears that walk through town, 24-hour daylight/darkness, and almost everything must be flown in. I worked closely with the Mayor, Assembly and Borough Departments on a wide range of issues that affect municipalities, and many issues that are unique to the Arctic. Living there in community really changed my ways of thinking.  
  • After moving back to Oregon, I worked in many roles related to Tribes, Tribal organizations and Alaska Native organizations, including working for Hobbs Straus Dean and Walker, LLP, in solo practice at Winalski Law LLC, and for the U.S. Department of Interior Solicitor’s Office.
  • I love working on campaigns and have worked on statewide and local races, for candidates and ballot measures.

In my volunteer capacity, I have served as a Vice Chair for the ABA Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources, Native American Resources Committee, as a Co-Chair for the Oregon State Bar Indian Law Section and as a member of the Oregon Women Lawyers Leadership Committee.

I teach yoga (RYT-200 certified). I coach youth lacrosse. As a person in recovery, I run and volunteer with GTD Go The Distance to support other people in recovery. I like to travel, and have visited 23 countries so far.

Lightning & Kodiak


Lightning (l) and Kodiak (r) joined my family in October 2018 after being adopted from Cat Utopia. They also enjoy watching men’s and women’s college basketball and cheering for the Oregon Ducks and UConn Huskies!