Black people have served in the military since the Revolutionary War, longer than the United States has been a country. Their service has been distinguished, from Minuteman Peter Salem in the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill to the Harlem Hellfighters of World War I to the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II to Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell and Charles Q. Brown Jr.
Today, Black men and women comprise 17% of active-duty service members. Still, despite centuries of service, they historically have received unequal treatment in jobs and promotions in the military, face deeper hardships when they become veterans, and have often been overlooked in the nation’s historical record and narratives about military life.
Their voices deserve to be heard—not only to set the record straight but also to enrich our collective understanding of war, sacrifice, resilience, and community.
Meet the Fellows
Kyle Bibby
Kyle Bibby is a nationally recognized campaign strategist, veteran advocate, and anti-war storyteller with over 15 years of experience shaping policy at the highest levels of government and civil society. He is the co-founder and co-CEO of the Black Veterans Project, where he leads efforts to address systemic inequities in veterans’ benefits, protect the legacy of Black military service, and advance the case for reparations. A former captain in the Marine Corps, Bibby served as an infantry officer in Afghanistan and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for leadership and operational logistics, as well as the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for international community engagement in Japan. His military service deeply informs his anti-war stance and narrative storytelling. Bibby is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Bobby Burns
Bobby Burns is a former reporter with the Arizona Informant newspaper and author of “Shelter: One Man’s Journey from Homelessness to Hope.” Burns has been published in numerous publications, including the Sonora Review, Howling Dog Press, The Louisiana Review, Oasis Journals, Chocolate Voice magazine, and “42 Stories Anthology.” He once undertook a national nine-city book tour by Greyhound bus. Luckily for him, he flew home from Chicago after the tour. Burns visited 24 countries as a Navy cook. He earned a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University. He enjoys walks in the desert and lives in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife and son. His favorite writer is James Baldwin. Burns is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Renee Dickerson
Renee Dickerson is a disabled Air Force veteran who dedicated her career to serving her country through the Department of Defense and later the Department of Veterans Affairs before retiring in 2023. With over three decades of experience, she is continuing her work as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma recovery. Dickerson is passionate about helping trauma survivors, veterans, and first responders work through mental and emotional barriers one thought at a time, walking with them as they learn to soar beyond their traumatic experiences. She believes living life fully after the experience of trauma is possible. Dickerson is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Tamara Geyer
Tamara Geyer is a Marine Corps veteran whose eight years of service included a nearly year-long deployment to Afghanistan. Her post-service career spans the nonprofit and federal sectors, from sitting bedside with dozens of medevaced service members at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to directing Teach for America’s Veterans Initiative, facilitating higher education programs for justice-impacted individuals at San Quentin State Prison, and supporting the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal through Team America. She is currently writing a book and building a consulting and advocacy platform connecting people, programs, and solutions across diverse communities. An avid reader, traveler, and unapologetic animal lover, she’s the kind of person who will ask for your pet’s name before yours …and probably for photos before you’ve even finished introducing yourself. Geyer is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Michael Hyon Johnson
Michael Hyon Johnson is a writer and filmmaker whose work explores identity, discipline, and belonging through stories rooted in military life and youth culture. An Air Force veteran and former B-1B ground crew chief, he draws on his service to examine how structure, ambition, and memory shape who we become. Based in Los Angeles, Johnson also leads operations in film and digital media. Johnson bridges his experience in technology and storytelling to champion authentic, character-driven narratives. He is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Heather King
Heather King is an Air Force veteran and Tillman scholar. Throughout her career, she deployed to Diego Garcia British Indian Ocean Territory, Guam, and Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the global war on terrorism. The changes in culture and the military in the aftermath of 9/11 sparked King’s interest in storytelling. Today, King blends more than 15 years of professional communications with years of working with addicts and alcoholics to help veterans and their family members frame their own stories of healing. She is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Tarnesha Nickens
Tarnesha Nickens is an Army veteran, event strategist, and political image consultant dedicated to empowering women and minority voices in leadership. She is the founder of Eye See You Consulting and In The Nick of Time, where she blends creativity, precision, and storytelling to craft impactful events, campaigns, and brand identities. Passionate about community engagement, Nickens has worked extensively in civic initiatives, education foundations, and veteran advocacy. She believes in the power of words to inspire change and is committed to using her writing to amplify underrepresented perspectives. Nickens is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Tashandra Poullard
Tashandra Poullard is a Houston native and Navy veteran currently working as a visual journalist in Lexington, KY. Following her military service, Poullard worked as a contractor with the Department of Defense, specializing in cybersecurity for nearly six years, before transitioning into the creative arts. Tasha has extensive experience in broadcast journalism, photography, film and video production, script writing, and acting (stage, film, and voice-over). She is currently working on her second bachelor’s degree at the University of Kentucky, majoring in journalism, with a minor in digital media. Tasha is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Adrienne Simmons
Adrienne Simmons is a retired Navy Nurse Corps officer who coaches women veterans struggling to navigate the shift from military to civilian life. She uses a strategic approach to help them improve well-being, relationships, and performance while taking charge of their energy, happiness, and defeating thoughts and patterns. Born and raised in South Philly, Simmons currently lives in North Carolina. When she isn’t focusing on work, you can usually find her sipping some Bulletproof coffee, jammin’ to some great music, or hanging out with family and friends over delicious meals. Simmons is a 2025 War Horse fellow.
Meet the Mentors and Guest Speakers
Thank you to each of the generous guest speakers who volunteer their time to inspire and mentor our War Horse fellows.
Mark Batson
Guest Speaker
Mark Batson classically trained pianist, award-winning music producer, and visionary composer whose contributions have helped sell over 130 million albums worldwide across Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, Jazz, and Classical music. His work has shaped the sound of some of the most influential artists in modern music, including Eminem, Beyoncé, Nas, Alicia Keys, Anthony Hamilton, and Dave Matthews Band, contributing to chart-topping, Grammy Award-winning projects. Consistently on winning teams, Batson has been a contributing musical force behind 6 Grammy awards, 2 Oscars, 2 Tony Awards and a Golden Globe for Best Picture.
Georgia Bodnar
Founder and principal agent of Noyan Literary
Georgia Bodnar is the founder and principal agent of Noyan Literary, a New York–based literary agency representing acclaimed authors of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She has worked with New York Times bestselling and award-winning writers, whose books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages worldwide, adapted for the stage, and optioned for film and television. She began her publishing career after five years in the nonprofit sector and went on to spend nearly a decade at major publishing houses—first at Macmillan, and then for eight years at Penguin Random House, the largest English-language publisher in the world and home to many of today’s most influential authors. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Minnesota. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children.
Dr. Rose Shelton
Mental Health Support
Dr. Rose Shelton is a licensed and nationally certified clinical professional counselor. Rose graduated from George Washington University with an undergraduate degree in Architecture and Interior Design, and from Howard University with a degree in Military Science, which enabled her to be commissioned into the Army Officer Corps. Rose holds an MBA, a graduate degree in International Relations, a Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. She is also certified in hypnotherapy and in addiction counseling. Rose has her own private practice, Thought Center LLC, serving several states across the country with a staff of amazing clinicians. She has published three books: “In the Morning When I Rise,” a story about Rose’s daughter’s death to a rare kidney cancer and Rose’s self-discovery, “I Am She,” a tutorial for women’s self-discovery; Law of First Thought is a powerful awakening to the understanding of the mind, identity, and healthy evolution. She has published articles in Exposure Magazine and in The DC Line. Rose Shelton enjoys using her voice and knowledge to advocate for change and the progression of self-development using psychology and metaphysics.
Terron Sims, II
Guest Speaker
Terron Sims, II, a combat veteran, businessman, political leader, and proud West Point graduate, is the CEO and Founder of Doug Pollard Strategies. Sims is a national security subject matter expert with over three decades of experience in the US Army, Department of Defense, the private sector, and throughout federal and state governments. He has had a passion for writing since a young age. While still in high school, he created unique comic book characters and presented them to Dwayne McDuffie of Milestone Comics. Sims began writing his first novel, “With Honor in Hand,” during his sophomore year at West Point and found a literary agent while he was deployed to Iraq. He wrote his second novel, “Hands of Honor,” while in Iraq. Additionally, he has drafted his third novel “For Hands to Honor”, written his Iraq memoirs, “Baghdad Peace”, and has completed several television and movie screenplays. Sims has penned several op-eds and was one of the original contributors to Task & Purpose. He has also been a primary policy writer for Presidents Obama and Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Clinton, and several governors and congressional members.
Scott Wilson
Journalist
Scott Wilson worked for 26 years at The Washington Post, most recently as a senior national correspondent covering California and the American west. He previously served as The Post’s national editor, chief White House correspondent, and deputy assistant managing editor for foreign news. Before that he was The Post’s Jerusalem bureau chief; Middle East correspondent based in Amman, Jordan; and Andean bureau chief based in Bogotá, Colombia. He has received awards and citations from the Overseas Press Club and the Inter American Press Association for his work abroad. He also won the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award given by the White House Correspondents’ Association and the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency for his coverage of the Obama administration. He was part of a Post team that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism. He lives in his childhood hometown of Santa Barbara, California, where he runs a weekly reading and writing group for inmates at the county jail.Scott Wilson worked for 26 years at The Washington Post, most recently as a senior national correspondent covering California and the American west. He previously served as The Post’s national editor, chief White House correspondent, and deputy assistant managing editor for foreign news. Before that he was The Post’s Jerusalem bureau chief; Middle East correspondent based in Amman, Jordan; and Andean bureau chief based in Bogotá, Colombia. He has received awards and citations from the Overseas Press Club and the Inter American Press Association for his work abroad. He also won the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award given by the White House Correspondents’ Association and the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency for his coverage of the Obama administration. He was part of a Post team that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism. He lives in his childhood hometown of Santa Barbara, California, where he runs a weekly reading and writing group for inmates at the county jail.
