The Director and staff of the Information Security Oversight Office congratulate ISOO Program Analyst Dawn Fairchild on her retirement from Federal service. Dawn joined ISOO in March 2010, bringing with her 25 years of experience in information technology, systems analysis and software development in both public and private sector organizations. Her technical writing experience and editing skills aided development of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) regulations and registry. In May 2017, Dawn received the Archivist’s Achievement Award in recognition of her work on the CUI staff’s sustained six-year effort to create, develop, and implement a new national policy for CUI. Her outstanding contributions on the CUI program included the creation of the CUI registry and maintaining it on the CUI website.
Dawn served ISOO in several different capacities. Her work each year proof-reading and editing ISOO’s Annual Report and the Public Interest Declassification Board’s (PIDB) reports to the President were critical tasks that required attention to detail and accuracy. She was responsible for leading ISOO’s compliance with section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dawn ensured that all information, reports, notices, and records posted on ISOO, CUI, ISCAP, and PIDB websites met these requirements. This work was especially difficult for posting historical records that were declassified by the ISCAP. Many of these records were poor quality or faded copies that were difficult to read; they required many hours of detailed work to complete. Although time-consuming and exacting, her work on these tasks supports ISOO and the National Archives mission to “provide access” to information to all Americans, including those with disabilities.
The ISOO Director and staff could always count on her to volunteer when there was a need. With an academic background in languages and Library sciences, Dawn volunteered to serve as ISOO’s records officer, an assignment she performed with distinction as NARA’s corporate records office modernized its operations. ISOO often hosted interagency meetings, many of which were critical to the success of ISOO’s programs. Before several of these meetings started, she volunteered to give participants a tour of the Public Vaults and to see the Charters of Freedom. Her tours were popular and helped reinforce ISOO’s (and NARA’s) missions and programs and aided in goodwill as ISOO promoted improved information security practices. Dawn also volunteered to support NARA’s education staff by serving as a judge and team captain for National History Day in both the junior and senior divisions.
Although she will officially retire from federal service on June 30, the ISOO staff expects to see her at the National Archives occasionally – albeit, as a public researcher following her passion for history and conducting archival research. She also has plans for greater involvement in local history projects, including constructing reproductions of historical clothing for museums and living historians.