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Army Veteran Peter Scott was medically retired from the US Army after receiving a 100% unemployable VA rating. Pete served three tours as part of Special Forces and returned with severe PTSD, TBI, and a host of additional wounds, both visible and invisible. Following his retirement, Pete spent a good deal of time focusing on his health, both through in-patient programs and simply taking time off. During this time, Pete found tremendous comfort and satisfaction in farming. He joined DTI’s fellowship program in January 2016 in hopes of finding a way to take his passion for farming and use it to help other veterans in need. Pete launched Fields 4 Valor Farms, a 501c3 dedicated to providing produce to veteran families in need, while enrolled in our program. Pete has produced and donated 1000’s of pounds of produce to military families at Walter Reed Hospital through a partnership with Operation Homefront. In 2019, Pete leased a larger farm which has enabled him to increase production and serve even more military families. Most recently, he was awarded a grant by WWP to support his nonprofit farm’s efforts to address food insecurity in the veteran and military community. In particular, this grant has allowed him to bring on paid staff to optimize Fields 4 Valor’s operations, and he has focused on providing employment opportunities for veterans and military spouses.

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Gabriela Bell, a former Air Force spouse, grew up all over the US, earned a B.S. in Education (Mathematics) from Baylor University, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a M.A. in Educational Leadership from Touro University International. Being a strong role model for her four children––three of whom have special needs––is a top priority for Gabi. As a mother who gave up her career to support her family, it is important to her that her children see their mother is as capable as their father. This desire to better herself professionally, as well as a desire to advocate for other military spouses, brought Gabi to the Dog Tag Fellowship Program. Drawing from her past experience as a virtual executive assistant, Gabi realized the flexibility provided by the online nature of this position made it perfect for military spouses. While in the fellowship, Gabi started her own company, OrganizedQ––a service that matches military spouses with work-from-home positions as virtual executive assistants to professionals and businesses firms. Since launching OrganizedQ, Gabi has brought on several clients, including fellow DTI alumni Erinn Roth of Ms. Jo’s Petite Sweets, and grown her team from a team of one to 12 (including employing fellow DTI alumni Lauren Warner and Ann Johnson) in just one short year. Gabi continues to grow her client base, expanding into new sectors and making a positive difference for social impact organizations, small business owners, and executives. Even now, she balances raising four children, a senior bulldog, a cat, and a parakeet while working full time managing her company.

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Deborah Elliott was born into an Air Force Family in Warrensburg, Missouri. Deb has earned both an Associate’s degree in Arts and Sciences from Southwestern Illinois College, and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology from East Carolina University. Deb met her Marine Corps husband in Illinois and moved to Cherry Point, North Carolina. During a nine-month deployment, her husband became very ill. After initial misdiagnoses led to his illness worsening, he was eventually declared undeployable, and medically retired. Being a mother of two and caregiver for her husband left Deb little time for personal and professional growth. Through the Dog Tag Fellowship Program, Deb had the time and space to focus on herself and her goals, and gain the entrepreneurial experience necessary to start her own business as a professional organizer. While enrolled in our program, she founded DEO Organizing and secured her first clients. In 2019 she won a Pillars of Strength scholarship to attend University of Maryland University College (UMUC), where she is now studying. Deb is currently working to launch her business website, continuing to grow her professional organizing business and build her customer base while uplifting others. Deb also was selected as a 2019 Dole Caregiver Fellow with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, using her newfound sense of purpose to advocate for other military caregivers throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia.