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Frances Dawn Halfaker

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Frances Dawn Halfaker
BornJuly 26, 1979
CitizenshipUSA

Frances Dawn Halfaker (July 26, 1979) is an American veteran, veterans’ advocate, entrepreneur and philanthropist from San Diego, California. She is a recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and is currently President and CEO of HAFCO Holdings and Founder of the Continuing to Serve Foundation.[1][2][3][4]

Biography

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Dawn Halfaker was born on July 26, 1979, and raised in San Diego, California, where she was an athlete at Rancho Bernardo High School. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point where she also played on the women’s basketball team.[5][6][7]

She also holds a Master of Arts in Security Studies from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.[8][9] Halfaker worked closely with the Defense Sciences Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and served as an advisor for the Chairperson of the House of Armed Services Committee with a focus on Department of Defense legislation issues.[1][9][10][11][12]

After graduating in 2001 from the West Point, Halfaker was commissioned in the Army as a military police officer and was stationed at Camp Casey, South Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division. After her tour in Korea, Halfaker was subsequently stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., with the 293rd Military Police Company and deployed to Iraq.[13]

In 2004, Halfaker was severely injured when her military police patrol was ambushed by enemy insurgents in Iraq.[14] Halfaker was medically retired from the Army in 2005 due to injuries sustained in combat.[15]

In 2006, she founded Halfaker and Associates, a Virginia based  technology services company focused on providing end-to-end digital services for government organizations. The company focused on hiring Veterans and Wounded Warriors.[10][16][17][18] In 2021, the firm was acquired by Science Applications International Corporation.[19][20] Upon the sale of Halfaker and Associates, Dawn established a private investment firm, HAFCO Holdings LLC,[21] and the Continuing to Serve Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting veteran entrepreneurs.[22]

In 2011, Dawn was listed among Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs[23] and received the Washington Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Award.[24]

The following year, Halfaker was recognized as Civilian Job's Most Valuable Employer for Military in 2012.[25] Also in 2012, she was recognized as the Ernst & Young Greater Washington Entrepreneur of the Year.[26]

In 2013, she was named a White House Women Veterans Champion of Change.[27]

Military service

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During her service in the United States Army, Halfaker held leadership positions in peacekeeping and in training in the United States, South Korea, Kuwait, and Iraq. She also commanded a platoon of ground soldiers in combat. In 2004, she deployed to Iraq as a Military Police Officer with the 3rd Infantry Division. There, she was wounded in combat and earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for her service. She underwent over 20 operations at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center including the amputation of her right arm.[28][29][30]

Advocacy

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As a retired Army Captain, Halfaker has dedicated much of her life to advocacy for Veterans. She previously served as the President of the Board of Directors for the Wounded Warrior Project[6][9][10][1] and she currently serves as a member of the USO board of Governors and the Board of Directors for the Vail Veterans Program.[31][32][33] She also remains active with several advisory committees and veteran service organizations.[6]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2007 Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq Herself [34][35][36]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Borne the Battle #231: Army Veteran Dawn Halfaker, Combat Wounded Amputee, CEO of Halfaker and Associates - VA News". 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  2. ^ "Fortune's most promising women entrepreneurs". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  3. ^ Sataline, Suzanne (2006-07-01). "Waiting For an Arm and a Leg". Popular Science. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  4. ^ Diego, Voice of San (2007-07-17). "Arm Missing, Heart Intact". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  5. ^ "Proudly She Served | Dawn Halfaker". www.proudlysheserved.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  6. ^ a b c "Dawn halfaker". The White House. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  7. ^ Alpert, Steve (2022-06-08). ""Proudly She Served"–Their Tragedies and Triumphs Taught Me What True Courage Is". The War Horse. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  8. ^ will.o.harris (2004-11-10). "Dawn Halfaker is making a strong recovery". Pomerado News. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  9. ^ a b c "Dawn Halfaker, Halfaker & Associates LLC: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  10. ^ a b c "Reserve Forces Policy Board > Board Biographies > halfaker". rfpb.defense.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  11. ^ "Dawn Halfaker, President and CEO, Halfaker and Associates, LLC". WTOP News. 2014-09-16. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  12. ^ "Military service drives Halfaker's success". Washington Technology. 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  13. ^ Macur, Juliet (2005-04-10). "Two Women Bound by Sports, War and Injuries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  14. ^ Walters, Joanna (2013-01-24). "Pentagon's decision puts official seal on women's combat role". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  15. ^ George, Donna St (2006-04-18). "Limbs Lost to Enemy Fire, Women Forge a New Reality". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  16. ^ "This Iraq Veteran Lost Her Arm--but Found New Purpose as an Entrepreneur". inc.com. 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  17. ^ "Top Workplaces 2016". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  18. ^ Military.com (2023-09-20). "Women in Charge: 3 Female Veterans Who Excelled in the Business World". Military.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  19. ^ "SAIC to pay $250M for health solutions company". Washington Technology. 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  20. ^ "SAIC to Acquire Halfaker and Associates - HS Today". 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  21. ^ "West Point Association of Graduates". alumni.westpointaog.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  22. ^ "Continuing To Serve Foundation (Frances Dawn Halfaker Ttee) in Washington, DC". www.orgcouncil.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  23. ^ "Fortune's most promising women entrepreneurs". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  24. ^ "2011 Women Who Mean Business: Dawn Halfaker - Washington Business Journal". 2011-11-21. Archived from the original on 2011-11-21. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  25. ^ "Reserve Forces Policy Board > Board Biographies > halfaker". rfpb.defense.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  26. ^ "Dawn Halfaker". HigherEchelon. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  27. ^ "Borne the Battle #231: Army Veteran Dawn Halfaker, Combat Wounded Amputee, CEO of Halfaker and Associates - VA News". 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  28. ^ Walters, Joanna (2013-01-26). "Women in combat: business as usual for those in the firing line". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  29. ^ Walters, Joanna (2005-05-01). "As casualties soar, America's women face reality of front line". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  30. ^ WORTH (2011-06-01). "20 Entrepreneurs to Watch". Worth. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  31. ^ "Board of Governors". United Service Organizations. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  32. ^ "Board of Directors". Vail Veterans Program. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  33. ^ Seftel-Kirk, Heather (2019-01-09). "Dawn Halfaker: The Way Forward in Transforming Healthcare IT". Forum Insights. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  34. ^ Carter, Bill (2007-09-06). "The Price of War, Front and Center". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  35. ^ "Alive Day Memories: Interview with a Soldier". HuffPost. 2007-09-07. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  36. ^ Andrews, Helena (2007-09-10). "War losses, limb by limb". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
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