The Founder

After sustaining injuries during her 21 years of service in the United States Army, Sergeant First Class Wanda M. Petty spent 3 years as a wounded warrior at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Along with many other veteran women, she was processed out of the military due to circumstances beyond her control.
Although, Wanda had a plan B. After many years of service, like many women in the military, her future was now uncertain, and the skills and training she gained seemed of no use outside of the military. In many cases, they actually are.

In fact, transitioning out of the military was anything but easy for Wanda; there was a lot more dark than light, including depression and thoughts of suicide stemming from a loss of control and independence, and financial stress from the loss of career and stable income. Many veteran women lose their homes – currently, it is estimated there are as many as 50,000 homeless female veterans.

Wanda knew there had to be another way, so she set out to make a change for women returning home from the military services by bridging the gap in advocacy and available resources for veteran women.
In 2009, she founded The National Resource Society for Women Veterans, Inc. headquartered in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, to help veteran women and women of veteran families lead inspired lives after military service.