U.S. Army, Retired • Captain

Dawn Halfaker was raised in San Diego, CA. She was recruited out of high school by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to join their women’s basketball team where she became the starting point guard. Halfaker graduated from West Point and earned her commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 2001. Her first duty station was in Korea after which she returned to the U.S. and was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Fort Stewart, GA. It was during this assignment that Halfaker deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a Military Police Lieutenant, leading a military police platoon. A main part of her unit’s mission was to rebuild the Iraqi police force by working alongside its officers to train, equip, and to go on missions with them. During a routine patrol in the city of Baqubah, Halfaker’s Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. The RPG hit her right shoulder and she lost consciousness. After being medically evacuated back to the U.S. and having her right arm amputated, Halfaker began the process of rehabilitation, where she focused on rebuilding her life and her career. Halfaker earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for her military service. In 2006, she started Halfaker and Associates, an award-winning professional services and technology solutions firm based in Arlington, VA. Halfaker’s aspiration for the firm was to continue service to her country by offering the industry a new perspective of experience, a new standard of service, and a renewed commitment to excellence. Halfaker and Associates has over 500 employees and a Veteran Fellowship Program which focuses on hiring and training Veterans for jobs within the organization. Halfaker holds a Master of Arts degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., is an active supporter of numerous civic, cultural and business organizations, and is a staunch advocate for Veterans and Wounded Warriors. Dawn Halfaker and her family live in Washington, DC.