Governance
Board of Directors.
Wounded Warriors is governed by a 7-director volunteer board under Texas nonprofit law. President & Founder Dillon Parkes is the paid officer (compensation publicly disclosed on Form 990); the President is not a voting director. Independence ratio: 5 of 7 directors (71%). Foundation officers verify governance via our Form 990 Schedule O on ProPublica.
5 of 7Independent directors
71%Board independence ratio
1 paidOfficer on payroll (President)
4Consecutive Form 990 filings
President & Founder (paid officer — not a director)
Dillon Parkes
President & Founder · Since 2021 · Paid officer
U.S. Navy veteran. Founder of Warriors Fund. Builds the open-data infrastructure, runs operations, personally reviews emergency-aid cases when the queue surges. FY2024 W-2 compensation: $81,545 on $571,632 total revenue (14.3%). Full Form 990 Part VII compensation table is publicly viewable on ProPublica.
Note: The President is the paid executive of Wounded Warriors. He does not serve as a voting director on the board. Compensation is set by the independent directors per our Conflict of Interest Policy. Full founder bio →
Vice President (volunteer officer — not a director)
Kyle Kahlenberg
Vice President · Volunteer · No compensation
Board of Directors (7 volunteer directors)
Chris Senn
Director · Independent
Volunteer · No family or business tie to officers.
Ivanna Lopez
Director · Independent
Volunteer · No family or business tie to officers.
Jeffery Blake
Director · Independent
Volunteer · No family or business tie to officers.
Judith Rudel
Director · Independent
Volunteer · No family or business tie to officers.
Neshera Nasir
Director · Independent
Volunteer · No family or business tie to officers.
Austin Parkes
Director · Related-party (disclosed)
Volunteer · No compensation.
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.
Dru Kahlenberg
Director · Related-party (disclosed)
Volunteer · No compensation.
Conflict disclosure: Related to Vice President Kyle Kahlenberg (family member). Recuses on matters involving the Vice President and on any contract or vote involving the related party, per our Conflict of Interest Policy.
How we govern related-party participation
- Annual disclosure — each director signs a conflict-of-interest disclosure at appointment and annually thereafter
- Recusal rule — related-party directors do not vote on matters involving their relative or the associated officer; they leave the room and the recusal is recorded in board minutes
- Compensation set by independents only — the President's compensation is set by the 5 independent directors; Austin Parkes recuses
- Published policies — Conflict of Interest, Whistleblower, Records Retention, Donor Privacy, and Gift Acceptance policies all publicly posted
Detail at /leadership.
Advisory Board (separate from governance Board)
In addition to the 7-director governance Board, we're recruiting an Advisory Board with subject-matter expertise in healthcare, defense, tech, philanthropy, veteran community, and academia. Lower time commitment than governance Board, but high-leverage strategic input. See /endorsements for active advisory seats.
How board governance works
- Texas nonprofit law governs our incorporation
- Bylaws available upon request to current and prospective directors
- Conflict-of-interest policy in effect; documented annually
- Whistleblower policy in effect
- Document retention policy in effect
- Compensation disclosed annually via Form 990
Verify our governance via ProPublica Form 990 history.
Express interest in advisory board service
Email partnerships@warriorsfund.org with the subject line "Advisory Board Interest" and a brief background. The founder reads every board-interest email personally.
