Dawn Lerner

"Every sacrifice we make needs to be for the greater good. The second it isn't, the second we lose sight of that it's all over. The thing is you're not the greater good, you're not strong enough. How many people had to risk their lives to save you!? In here, you are part of a system. The wards keep my officers happy - The happier my officers are, the harder they work to keep us going."

- Dawn Lerner to Beth.

Dawn Lerner is a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. She is the leader of Grady memorial hospital. She is one of the two main antagonists in the first half of Season 5 along with Gareth.

Story
Dawn was a police officer with the Atlanta Police Department. She worked with a senior officer namedHanson. She also has OCD which will affect her role as leader of a group of survivors later on.

Dawn is first introduced when Beth wakes up in Grady Memorial Hospital. Dawn tells her that Beth owes her officers for saving her, though this seems to be something that all new arrivals are told. When Steven Edwards tells Dawn that Gavin Trevitt cannot be saved, Dawn angrily responds by slapping Beth on the cheek, causing her suture to reopen. After Trevitt died due to Beth accidentally administering the wrong drug, Noah takes the blame but Dawn knew Beth was the cause. She tells Beth that she is doing everything for the greater good and Beth isn't the greater good. After Beth is subdued by an officer when attempting to escape the hospital with Noah, she is brought to Dawn's office. Beth tells her nobody will come to safe them, so everything Dawn is doing is useless. Dawn looks at a picture of her and Hanson, who she "dealt with" for the greater good before knocking Beth unconscious.