Dominique Dawes is best known for her tremendous success as an Olympic gymnast who competed in three Olympic Games, winning team medals in all three Olympic Games becoming the only American gymnast to do so and has a permanent place in the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame. Fans across the nation and around the world remember her as a member of the gold medal winning “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where she also won a bronze medal as she wowed the crowed with her stunning performance in the floor exercise, becoming the first female African-American gymnast to win an individual medal. She also earned a bronze medal with the U.S. team in the 1992 Barcelona Games and made a surprising comeback in the 2000 Sydney Games. On August 11th, 2010 the IOC awarded Dawes and her teammates from the 2000 Olympics with a team Bronze medal.

Dawes is much more than an accomplished gymnast, though. After retiring from the sport to which she dedicated 18 years of her life, Dawes has found a new passion empowering others. She is an accomplished motivational speaker, speaking to audiences of hundreds and thousands on topics focusing on passion, leadership, teamwork, health, fitness and wellness. Dawes’ message empowers vast audiences, from corporate executives to small business owners, women’s organizations to youth service organizations, and high school to college-age students; her passion and energy is captivating and leaves a lasting effect on those she inspires.

Dawes’ dynamic and compassionate personality continues to influence others to persevere through all the challenges, lead by example and strive to reach their full potential in all aspects of their lives, while developing a healthy sense of self and impacting the world around them. Thriving on every opportunity she gets to inspire people to envision more for their lives correlates into her work with the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, where she was appointed by President Barack Obama as co-chair. The Council’s mission is to engage, educate and empower all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition. In doing so, Dawes has captured the attention of millions through promoting the Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards (PALA) which has proven to jump start many Americans commitment to living a healthy lifestyle.

In addition to her healthy lifestyle movement, Dawes has served as spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of America’s Uniquely Me program, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and the American Heart Association’s Choose to Move program. Much of her work is directed toward women and youth, but she also speaks to corporations and non-profit organizations on leadership skills, goal-setting and teamwork. Since her first passion is gymnastics, she continues to teach those on the local level. Dawes hosts FUNdamentals with Dominique Dawes, which is a one-day gymnastics clinic for competitive level gymnasts of all ages, focusing on fundamentals, goal setting and mental toughness.

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