Dee Quantara is the Founder and CEO of Northeast Florida Women Veterans, Inc.

After 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, she retired, and continued traveling with her family in support of the military. She returned home to Jacksonville and worked for the state of Florida as a Local Veterans Employment Representative. This position gave her an understanding in some of the challenges veterans face, especially women. Answering to the call, she founded the Northeast Florida Women Veterans, Inc, in 2012.

Currently, as an advocate, she is working to bring awareness to the needs of women veterans. She was appointed and is currently serving on the Florida Department of the VA’s fact finding committee on women veterans which is now talking to women veterans around the state about the challenges they are facing when attempting to access services and resources. She is also a member of the Community Veterans Engagement Board for NE Florida.

Dee and her team provide professional and personal development workshops, financial assistance, clothing, food, counseling, and a shelter for women veterans and their children. She has created six programs that address the needs of women veterans and all has proven successful in helping women become their best self. Dee created ‘Women Veterans Recognition Week” which highlights the accomplishments as well as the challenges faced by women veterans. It is now recognized statewide.

Dee has been recognized as a “Veteran of Influence” by the Jacksonville Business Journal (2016). She was inducted into the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Military Hall of Fame (2019), and recently inducted into the State of Florida Veteran Hall of Fame, Class of 2020. In Addition, she was selected as a Women Veteran Trailblazer for the 2021 Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Center for Women Veterans (CWV) Trailblazers “Women Veterans Leading the Way” initiative.

Dee is a graduate of William M. Raines High School and the Community College of the Air Force. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Limestone College of Gaffney, South Carolina and her Master’s in Business Administration from The University of Phoenix.

Dee is the proud daughter of Ms. Sallie E. Harris and the mother of two sons, Wes and Cyrus; and one daughter, DeAndra.