Paul Schwartz
CEO and Founder
Paul Schwartz spent six years in United States Air Force Intelligence in the Gulf War during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. After his service, Paul spent more than 25 years leading IT security, platform development, business operations, and professional services at companies including IBM and Cerner (now Oracle). That unique mix of military service, leadership, and problem-solving became the foundation for what is now Operation Beacon.
Paul still remembers the day he filed his first U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability claim. Sitting at his kitchen table, surrounded by confusing paperwork, he felt overwhelmed by a system that should have been helping veterans—not making things harder. He wondered how many other veterans were feeling the same frustration and giving up before getting the benefits they had earned.
That question stayed with him. As he spoke with fellow veterans, he heard story after story of delays, denials, and families left waiting. He knew something had to change.
Paul founded Operation Beacon with one clear mission: to make the VA disability claims process simpler, fairer, and faster for veterans. He believed there had to be a better way, so he set out to build one.
At heart, Paul is a veteran helping veterans. He understands the challenges many veterans face because he has lived them himself. That is why he is passionate about standing beside veterans and their families, helping them secure every benefit, resource, and opportunity they have earned through service.
Through Operation Beacon, Paul is doing more than improving a process—he is changing lives, easing burdens, and bringing hope to families across the country.
For Paul, this is more than work. It is his life's mission. And for every veteran looking for answers, he wants them to know they are not alone. Operation Beacon is here to help light the way.
Drew Arensberg
CTO and Founder
Drew Arensberg brings a rare mix of engineering skill, business strategy, and problem-solving to Operation Beacon. Drew is passionate about building smart tools that solve real problems and make life easier for the people they serve.
Drew earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton, with a focus on heat transfer and sustainability. From the start of his career, he has been driven by innovation, efficiency, and finding better ways to work.
Over the years, Drew has led projects in web development, software systems, construction operations, and business growth. He has designed custom web applications, CRM systems, estimating tools, and workflow automations that helped organizations reduce errors, improve service, and grow revenue. His work has helped businesses move faster, communicate better, and operate more smoothly.
Drew founded Operation Beacon to use that same innovative spirit to help veterans. He saw an opportunity to combine technology with compassion—to create systems that simplify a process that is often confusing and frustrating for veterans and their families.
Drew has built the technology platform that powers Operation Beacon. His work focuses on making the VA disability claims journey clearer, faster, and easier to navigate.
Drew believes technology should serve people, not create more barriers. Through Operation Beacon, he is helping transform complex systems into tools that bring hope, answers, and real results for those who served our country.
Mike Nelson
Veteran / Director
Mike Nelson is a lifelong advocate for veterans whose career has been built on service, leadership, and helping others navigate complex systems. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Mike served more than two decades on active duty in the United States Air Force, with assignments around the world. During his military career, he served as both an Intelligence Officer and Navigator, including combat service during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He logged more than 3,000 flight hours aboard the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Lockheed MC-130H Combat Talon II. He also served at the Pentagon as a long-range strategist and later led the C-130 training squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base.
After retiring from active duty, Mike continued serving in a new way. He joined the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Albuquerque, where he worked as both a Veterans Service Representative and Rating Veterans Service Representative. In these roles, he developed, researched, and decided disability claims—giving him firsthand knowledge of how the VA system works and where veterans often face challenges.
Mike later became a Change Management Analyst and Public Affairs Officer, helping lead the Regional Office's adoption of new automated tools to improve disability claim processing. He also became a trusted public voice for veterans' services, conducting more than 100 outreach events across New Mexico.
Most recently, Mike served as a Veterans Service Officer with the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services, where he advocated for veterans and helped them secure both federal VA benefits and state resources.
Today, Mike brings this rare combination of military leadership, VA insider knowledge, and deep compassion for fellow veterans to Operation Beacon. His mission is simple: to make the path to earned benefits clearer, faster, and fairer for every veteran he serves.
Derrick H. Smith
Veteran/Veteran Advocate
Derrick Smith brings more than 35 years of military service, leadership, and veteran advocacy to Operation Beacon. A retired U.S. Army veteran, Derrick understands firsthand the challenges veterans face, both during their service and as they transition to civilian life.
Derrick was medically retired from the U.S. Army after being wounded during a deployment to Iraq in 2005. He continued serving in the Louisiana State Guard, rising through the ranks to become a commissioned officer and commanding officer of the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 4th Area Command. He completed his military career in November 2025.
After leaving active-duty service, Derrick continued his commitment to veterans through the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, first as a student employee and later as a Veteran Assistance Counselor. He went on to serve at the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, where he advanced to Program Analyst and Administrative Officer for the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program. These roles gave him valuable insight into VA programs, benefits, and the challenges veterans face in getting the support they need.
Derrick later joined General Dynamics Information Technology as Project Manager for the VA Systems Integration Project. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University at Shreveport, adding business leadership and project management expertise to his extensive military and VA experience.
At Operation Beacon, Derrick draws on his military experience, deep understanding of the VA system, and passion for serving fellow veterans. Having faced his own challenges after military service, he knows how important it is for veterans to have someone in their corner. He is committed to providing the guidance, support, and advocacy veterans need to overcome barriers and receive the benefits they have earned.
