Dawn Trapp, CEO of Civitan Foundation, Inc., has spent nearly four decades helping shape what inclusion can look like for people with disabilities in Arizona.
Her journey with the nonprofit Civitan Foundation began in 1987, when she first became involved as a volunteer and Metro Civitan Club member. What started as service quickly became a lifelong calling. In 2001, Dawn became CEO and has since helped transform the organization from a single-service, single-location volunteer effort into a multi-faceted nonprofit serving children, adults, and families across Arizona’s disability community.
Under Dawn’s leadership, Civitan has grown far beyond its origins as Camp Civitan, which began in 1968 serving just 25 individuals for four seasonal weeks in Williams, Arizona. Today, Civitan serves more than 1,300 people annually with the support of over 350 staff and hundreds of volunteers. The organization now provides year-round opportunities through Camp Civitan, Flerish Marketplace, Respite Ranch, and enrichment campuses that teach creative arts, culinary programming, music, movement, multimedia, and supported employment experiences.
For Dawn, the work has always been about more than services. It is about dignity, belonging, independence, and helping people with disabilities be seen for their full humanity. A pride, too, in “growing our own” as she highly values mentorship. At Civitan, members are artists, chefs, musicians, performers, retail team members, friends, coworkers, volunteers, and leaders. Programs are designed not only to provide care, but to create real opportunities for personal growth, employment readiness, and community integration.
Her leadership reflects a deep belief that Arizona is stronger when people with disabilities have access to the same opportunities, friendships, experiences, and sense of purpose as everyone else. Through Civitan, Dawn continues to build a more inclusive Arizona, one program, partnership, and person at a time.