August 6, 2012

Deborah Scott Thomas: With Deep Roots, She Grows a ‘Giving Tree’ of Entrepreneurship
By Susan Kim, Managing Editor

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As Deborah Scott Thomas presides over a meeting in her office on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., the decorated walls of her conference room tell the history of her accomplishments. The wall holds commendations from several U.S. presidents for her three decades of military service. A framed, intricately woven rug commemorates her company’s accomplishments in Iraq. Another framed portrait features photos and personal autographs from the nation’s black military generals.

Scott Thomas founded her current company, Data Solutions & Technology Incorporated (DST), in 1994. But even without the title of “entrepreneur,” she has a résumé that would make even the most successful person envious. She retired as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force Reserve. She has been named one of MEA Magazine’s 50 Women of Power in Business, and received a Black Engineer of the Year STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Trailblazers Award.

Her company, DST, provides a wide spectrum of services in information technology, aviation management, logistics and operations, management support and more. Its clients include the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency and a bevy of other federal agencies, as well as private entities.

On a professional level, Scott Thomas considers herself a government contractor. But she is equally quick to bring up her personal side: She’s a mother to three sons, and will celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary this year.

With an already-distinguished career — and a poised, polished appearance — Scott Thomas has never forgotten her roots growing up in rural Alabama. She’s more than ready to talk about family ties at the same time as she describes her life as an entrepreneur. In fact, she can’t imagine one without the other.

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