Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 then Press 1, or text 838255.
Call 988, Press 1 Text 838255 Chat Now
Leadership & Board

The people behind Wounded Warriors

Veteran-founded. Majority-independent board. Every Form 990 on the public record. Every name and every family relationship on our current board is disclosed on this page; officer compensation is disclosed on our Form 990.

5 of 6
Independent directors (current board)

Current board as of September 2026. Directors with no family or business tie to the President or VP.

83%
Board independence ratio (current board)

Share of the 6 current directors listed below (as of September 2026) who are independent. For comparison, the FY2025 Form 990 (Part VI) reported 6 of 8 voting members independent (75%).

Public
Every Form 990 on ProPublica

Each filed return, including officer compensation, is public on ProPublica.

Platinum
Candid Seal of Transparency 2026

Candid's highest transparency level, renewed annually.

President & Founder

Dillon Parkes

President & Founder · Since 2021 · Paid officer

Dillon is a U.S. Navy veteran who founded Wounded Warriors in 2021 after watching veterans struggle with the same problem over and over: the help exists, but the paths to it are broken. Disconnected phone numbers, outdated VA clinic listings, three-month waitlists for programs that were supposed to respond in days.

He built Wounded Warriors to fix both sides of that failure — a resource directory that records available checks and asks veterans to confirm details with each provider, and a direct-aid program for veterans who need help that the directory alone can't deliver. He runs operations and builds the product, and has personally reviewed emergency-aid cases when the queue surged (emergency-aid applications are currently paused).

Publicly disclosed on IRS Form 990. FY2025 compensation: $81,545, disclosed in Form 990 Part VII. That return also reports Treasurer compensation of $31,700 (total officer compensation $113,245). The full compensation table is publicly viewable on ProPublica.
View the FY2025 filing on ProPublica →

Vice President

Current officer (as of September 2026). Serves without compensation.

Dru Kahlenberg

Vice President
Volunteer officer · Serves without compensation

Board of Directors

Current board (as of September 2026). Our 6-director board serves without compensation and provides governance, strategic oversight, and independent accountability. 5 directors are independent (no family or business tie to officers); 1 is a disclosed related party who recuses themselves on any matter involving a relative or the associated officer, per our Conflict of Interest Policy.

Chris Senn
Director · Independent
Ivanna Lopez
Director · Independent
Jeffery Blake
Director · Independent
Judith Rudel
Director · Independent
Neshera Nasir
Director · Independent
Austin Parkes
Director · Related-party (disclosed)

Conflict disclosure: Related to President Dillon Parkes (family member). Recuses on matters involving the President's compensation and on any contract or vote involving the related party, per our Conflict of Interest Policy.

How we govern related-party participation

Related-party board service is permitted under IRS Form 1023 and Form 990 Part VI Section B when two conditions are met: the relationship is publicly disclosed, and a written Conflict of Interest Policy governs recusal. We do both — and publish the policy for anyone to read.

Annual disclosure

Each director signs a conflict-of-interest disclosure at appointment and annually thereafter. Related-party directors disclose the full relationship in writing.

Recusal rule

Related-party directors do not vote on matters involving their relative or the associated officer. They leave the room for the discussion and vote is recorded in minutes.

Compensation disclosure

Officer compensation is reported on Form 990 Part VII. The FY2025 return reports two paid officers: the President ($81,545) and the Treasurer ($31,700). Related-party directors recuse on any matter involving a relative, per our Conflict of Interest Policy.

Published policies

Conflict of Interest, Whistleblower, Records Retention, Donor Privacy, and Gift Acceptance policies are all publicly posted.

Conflict of Interest Policy →Whistleblower Policy →Records Retention →Donor Privacy →Gift Acceptance →

Verify us on the public record.

The roster above is our current board (as of September 2026). Our FY2025 Form 990 lists the officers and directors for that filing period. Officer compensation is disclosed on our Form 990. Published Form 990 returns are available for fiscal years 2022–2025.