Dawn Schlesselman

About Dawn Schlesselman

A former colleague once described me as a \"transformative finance leader\", not for the title, but for the expectation to create clarity, discipline, and results in organizations navigating growth and change.I partner with executive teams to drive growth, improve profitability, and strengthen execution by building finance functions that scale. My focus is turning complex financial and operational data into clear strategy, stronger decisions, and measurable outcomes across large-scale, operationally complex organizations.At Johnstone Supply, I led finance and operational functions across a multi-state, multi-location organization, driving bottom-line improvement while transitioning the business from cash-based accounting to US GAAP, completing successful audits, and executing an acquisition within a single year.At Nike, I led strategy and financial planning for North America’s $1B full-price store portfolio, supporting rapid store expansion and developing labor and promotional strategies that improved performance at scale.I am most often brought in when structure is missing or the business is evolving to simplify complexity, establish forecasting and performance management, and translate numbers into insights leaders can act on. I am known for influencing across functions, communicating with clarity, and building teams that operate with accountability and ownership.Core Focus Areas:Strategic FP & A • Financial & ERP Transformation • Profitability Optimization • Budgeting & Forecasting • M&A Integration • Operational Finance • Scalable Process Design • Team Development

Experience

1. Director of Fp & a

   gearUP

   Mar 2026 — Present · US

   Lead the Company\'s financial planning processes including in-year and long-range planning- Partner with the executive leadership team to evaluate business initiatives, investment opportunities, and key strategic decisions, providing scenario modeling and financial recommendations - Mentor, lead and develop a growing Data Analytics team- Collaborate with cross-functional business partners including Accounting, Operations, Sales, Marketing and Merchandising to manage spending, and support operational decision-making

Education

• UC Santa Barbara

  BA, Business Economics with an Emphasis in Accounting

  2005 — 2009

Skills

• Management Accounting
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act
• Financial Accounting
• Due Diligence
• Corporate Finance
• External Audit
• Auditing
• U.s. Sec Filings
• Accounting
• Assurance
• Gaap
• Financial Analysis
• Internal Controls
• Sec Filings
• Tax
• Financial Reporting