Thank you to all of our generous donors and supporters, The Starbucks Foundation, and Cohen Veterans Network, who donated to support our second annual writing seminar. The week-long retreat brought together a dozen post-9/11 women veterans with leading military reporters, veteran advocates, educators, and mental health leaders. During the week, fellows toured the Washington Post newsroom and received one-on-one professional development from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and authors of New York Times bestsellers.
Meet the Fellows
Kiersten Downs
Kiersten Downs is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. She deployed three times during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and holds an undergraduate degree in political science, a master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution, and a Ph.D. in applied anthropology from the University of South Florida.
Currently, Downs is working as a health science research specialist at the Center of Innovation on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, a Department of Veterans Affairs research center. She holds a position on SVA’s board of directors. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
M.L. Doyle
M.L. Doyle has served in the U.S. Army at home and abroad for more than three decades as both a soldier and civilian. She calls on those experiences in her award-winning “Master Sergeant Harper” mystery series, her “Desert Goddess” urban fantasy series, erotic romance writing, and co-authored memoirs, which all feature women who wear combat boots. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Teresa Fazio
Teresa Fazio is a former Marine Corps communications officer. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Task and Purpose, Vassar Quarterly, Consequence Magazine, Penthouse, and the anthologies “Retire the Colors” and “The Road Ahead.” Her awards include the Consequence Magazine Fiction Prize, Words After War Submission Contest, and a fellowship at Yaddo. Her unpublished memoir, “Unbecoming,” was a finalist for the 2015 Autumn House Nonfiction Contest.
Fazio holds a Ph.D. in materials science from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in physics from MIT, and she is an MFA candidate at the Bennington Writing Seminars. She lives in New York City. She is a 2017 and 2018 War Horse fellow.
Nicole Green
Nicole Green is a former U.S. Air Force officer who served in Iraq in 2003. She has earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master of Arts in diplomacy from Norwich University. She is also a member of the Truman National Security Project and the Junior League of Dallas, and she lives in Texas.
Green is currently the vice president of regional operations for Team Rubicon, a nonprofit that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans and first responders to rapidly field emergency response teams worldwide. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Sarah Holzhalb
Sarah Holzhalb was a Coast Guard officer from 2002-2007, serving both afloat and ashore tours. She received her B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MPS from The George Washington University. Sarah works for Team RWB, a nonprofit that enriches the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. She lives in Louisiana and enjoys reading, running trails, and being outdoors with her family. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Kate Hoit
Kate Hoit is the military marketing manager for National University. Before that, she served as the director of content and communications for Got Your 6 and digital engagement at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and in communications for the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs.
Hoit has been published by The New York Times, The Daily Beast, TIME, The Huffington Post, and many others. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve and holds a bachelor’s in journalism as well as a Master of Arts in nonfiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. Hoit is a Pat Tillman military scholar and a defense council member of the Truman National Security Project. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Kristen Kavanaugh
Kristen Kavanaugh graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps in May of 2002. Following her five-year career, Kavanaugh earned her master’s in social work at the University of Southern California.
In 2012, Kavanaugh was recognized as a White House Champion of Change for her work during the military’s repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Kavanaugh is currently the global leadership development manager for production at Tesla Inc. and is a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Becca Keaty
Becca Keaty is a 20-year retired veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard with extensive experience in corporate and nonprofit strategic partnerships and development. Prior to joining Bunker Labs, she worked with the Tribune Media Group and co-founded the literacy social enterprise Open Books.
Keaty holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enjoys reading, fitness adventures, travel, and donuts. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Liz O'Herrin Lee
Liz O’Herrin Lee served with the Wisconsin Air National Guard from 2001-2008, assembling and transporting conventional weapons for F-16s. She received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.A. from Johns Hopkins University. She resides in Denver with her husband, Mike, and she is a Tillman scholar. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Danielle Phillips
Danielle Phillips is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. She graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in political science. Phillips then commissioned into the U.S. Marine Corps as a public affairs officer.
Phillips, now a captain, has since graduated from Liberty University with a Master of Arts in public policy. She is currently stationed at the Pentagon and is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Yvette Pino
Yvette Pino served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division from 2003 to 2004. She now lives in Wisconsin and works as an art curator. She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Kayla Williams
Kayla Williams served as a sergeant and Arabic linguist in the Army from 2000-2005, including a deployment to Iraq from 2003-2004. She now lives in Virginia with her husband and two children and works as a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She’s the author of two nonfiction books, “Love My Rifle More Than You” and “Plenty of Time When We Get Home.” She is a 2018 War Horse fellow.
Meet the Mentors
Thank you to each of the generous guest speakers who volunteer their time to inspire and mentor our War Horse fellows.
Kevin Cullen — Columnist for The Boston Globe
Stuart Krichevsky — Literary agent for Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency
Dana Priest — Pulitzer-prizing winning investigative journalist for The Washington Post, professor at the University of Maryland
Robert Rosenthal — Senior advisor to The War Horse, board member for The Center for Investigative Reporting
Bruce Shapiro — Director of The Dart Center of Journalism and Trauma
Karen Stabiner — Journalist, professor at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
It was five days of real connection, inspiration, creativity, and productivity. It took me a long time to come down from the high of the retreat and I wasn’t alone.
