Find a Mentor
Dawn Halfaker, founder
Halfaker & Associates
Washington, D.C.
Halfaker had served four years as an Army officer in Iraq when she was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade. She was medevaced to D.C. in 2005, lost her right arm, and “was forced to rebuild my life,” she says. “The recovery was extremely challenging and tested me emotionally. On top of that I had to figure out how my experience translated into a civilian career.” A consulting gig with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency laid the foundation for Halfaker & Associates, which has grown since its inception in 2006 to a $10 million, 105-employee firm that provides strategic consulting and national security services to the federal government.
Words of Wisdom: Don’t go it alone
“Find a mentor. The beauty of the veteran community is that we’re all knit together and we need to help each other out. Any veteran business owner would be happy to mentor an entrepreneur. That’s what it’s all about.”
