Meet Our Founder

The DH Eley Project was born from lived experience and lived practice.

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Our founder, Don Eley, understands firsthand what it means to grow up without consistent parental support. Born to two teenage parents who were not in a position to raise a child together, his early life did not follow a traditional path. He was raised by his grandmother alongside his uncles and aunts in a household that was not originally designed to be his primary home.

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What changed his trajectory was not luck. It was community.

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Neighbors, mentors, coaches, and caring adults stepped in to form a village around him, providing stability, guidance, and opportunity at critical moments. Through that village, Don gravitated toward youth development, athletics, and mentorship. Sports became more than competition. They became a pathway to structure, accountability, belonging, and belief.

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As a young person navigating life without consistent parental guidance, including the challenges of having a mother who was justice-involved, Don experienced the gaps that exist for children impacted by incarceration and instability. While many peers had built-in support systems, his path required intentional intervention from outside the home. Those interventions changed everything.

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With the support of mentors and coaches, Don progressed from high school to college, earning a bachelor’s degree. He continued on to complete a master’s degree and ultimately earned a doctorate. Along the way, he committed his career to leadership, service, and the development of young people.

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As a Division One Head Football Coach for multiple programs, Don became known not just for identifying athletic talent, but for seeing the full human being behind the uniform. While football often served as the entry point, it was never the end goal. He intentionally sought out young men whose circumstances placed them at risk, recognizing familiar patterns of instability, lack of support, and unrealized potential.

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His mission extended far beyond the field.

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Don focused on helping student-athletes become men of character, purpose, and direction. He poured into their academic growth, personal development, and life planning, often stepping in where families, systems, or resources could not. Many of the young men he mentored have gone on to earn college degrees, enter professional careers, and credit their changed life trajectory to the guidance, structure, and belief he received during formative years.

One such story gained national attention when Don was featured on CBS News after identifying and supporting a student-athlete experiencing homelessness. Though not justice-involved, the young man was navigating extreme instability and had limited prospects. Don intervened by helping secure a scholarship, stable housing, and consistent off-season support. That intervention altered the young man’s life trajectory in the same way community intervention had once altered Don's own.

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Today, Don serves as Chief of Staff for the Georgia Tech Football Program, continuing to shape institutional culture, mentor student-athletes, and advocate for holistic development. Yet his commitment to giving back remains deeply personal.

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The DH Eley Project exists because Don knows that talent alone does not determine outcomes. Potential must be met with access. Resilience must be met with resources. And young people impacted by incarceration or instability deserve adults who see them fully and walk alongside them long enough to make a difference.

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This organization reflects a truth learned over a lifetime:

When someone believes in you early and consistently, futures change.