Betty Rhoades

Betty Rhoades joined the HillVets Foundation in December of 2019 as the Executive Director. Betty lives in Washington, DC – just steps from the HillVets House! – with her husband, her rescued pit bull, Jack, and her “quarantine kitty,” Rex. Betty’s husband, Jason, was one of the original class of HillVets Fellows; he worked in Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick’s office and then moved on to achieve success in the federal government, consulting, and private legal practice. Betty has seen firsthand how HillVets changes people’s lives for the better, and she and Jason have been enthusiastic supporters ever since.

Betty began her career with the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2005. Subsequently, she served as a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) agent, SAH Coordinator, then Assistant Valuation Officer at the Atlanta Regional Loan Center. She was selected as the Chief of SAH in January of 2013. Betty’s dedication to Veterans led to record numbers of SAH grant approvals and also to her eventual promotion from Executive Management Officer (Chief of Staff) to the Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity in 2016. Betty came to HillVets from Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors, where she served as Director of National Capital Relationships since 2017. She has been serving the military/veteran community for more than 15 years, during which time she has published numerous articles and presented at a variety of conventions and events.

Betty earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2005 with a Concentration in Business Transactions. While in law school, she served on the staff of the Tennessee Law Review and received the National Association of Women Lawyers Award and a Dean’s Citation for Excellence in Community Service. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Georgia, where she graduated cum laude, with honors, in 2002. She was also inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society.