The Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) Emeritus status has been awarded to CFLE Dawn Cassidy in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of Family Life Education (FLE).

Find out more about CFLE Emeritus status.          

Dawn Cassidy, M.Ed., CFLE, served as director of the CFLE program and education department at the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) for 33 years.  In this role, she managed the CFLE credential, oversaw the Academic Program Review process, and developed resources like the CFLE Network newsletter, CFLE Conversations, and the FLE Summit.

Ms. Cassidy has contributed as an author and co-author to multiple FLE journal articles and textbook editions including an Internship and Practicum Handbook, Family Life Education Teacher’s Toolkit (no longer in print), Careers in Family Science, Tools for Ethical Thinking and Practice in Family Life Education, Family Life Education: Integrating Theory and Practice, Family Life Education: Working with Families across the Lifespan, and Family Life Education: The Practice of Family Science. She has also shared her FLE expertise through presentations at various conferences, both domestically and internationally. Her volunteer efforts, such as facilitating parenting education programs for the United Way’s “Way to Grow” Minnesota Early Learning Design (MELD) program, further demonstrate her commitment to FLE.

Ms. Cassidy was recognized as the 2023 CFLE Special Recognition Award recipient and the award was renamed in her honor. She obtained her master's of education from the University of Minnesota. She has been an active CFLE since 1999 and an NCFR member since 2000. Her career has centered around advancing FLE and increasing support and opportunities for practitioners.