Dawn Stauffer Hyde founded Berkshire Associates Inc. in 1983. She was an influential figure in the human resource industry and spent nearly three decades as the company’s president. Among other accomplishments, Dawn is credited with breaking new ground in affirmative action planning technology. In the early 1990’s, Dawn and her father, Donald Stauffer, created the first prototype version of Dawn’s brainchild—GREATAAP; a software product that automated the painstaking process of affirmative action plan preparation. GREATAAP transformed a manual task for human resource professionals, into an easier, more efficient process.
Dawn’s courage to take chances with new technology made her a pioneer in an industry that lagged behind the rest. She turned her ideas into action, and ultimately moved Berkshire from a home office, to a 26,000 sq. ft. facility in Columbia, MD. Today, Berkshire has over 50 employees and is one of the foremost providers of affirmative action solutions. Reflecting her interest in diversity and equal employment opportunity, Dawn also helped to establish, and was the long-time President of the Maryland Association of Affirmative Action Officers.
She was also recognized for her professional contributions and received numerous awards including: Inductee, Circle of Excellence Award for being the recipient of several Maryland Top 100 Women Awards, Howard County Equal Business Opportunity Achievement Star Award, and Bravo Business Achievement Award.
Sadly, Dawn passed away on May 11, 2012. Her commitment to equality will be missed by us all. Berkshire Associates is a manifestation of her dedication and passion to help companies build an equitable and balanced workforce. Dawn believed everyone should have equal access to employment across levels, job types, and industries. Beth Ronnenburg, Dawn’s mentee of over 10 years, succeeded Dawn in June 2011. Beth, alongside the rest of the Berkshire team, will work to continue Dawn’s legacy to provide companies with the support they need to build a balanced workforce.
