Dawn Bowden was born in Bristol and educated at St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School and Soundwell Technical College. She worked for the National Health Service between 1979 and 1982, and for Bristol City Council from 1982 to 1983. In 1989, she moved to south Wales to become the youngest and first female District Officer in the area.  She rose through the ranks of her union to become the UNISON Cymru/Wales Head of Health, a position she held up to her election as Assembly Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney in May 2016. She counts amongst her proudest achievements leading on the negotiations that delivered the Living Wage into NHS Wales in 2014.

 

Dawn was elected as a Member of the Senedd for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney in May 2016. In the last Senedd term, Dawn served on the Health, Social Care and Sport; Culture Welsh Language and Communications; External Affairs and Additional Legislation; Climate Change and Rural Affairs; Children, Young People and Education and Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committees. She also Chaired the Committee on Senedd Reform and represented the Welsh Parliament at the European Congress of Regions and was a Member of the Valleys Taskforce.

 

On 13 May 2021 Dawn was appointed Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport and Chief Whip