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Leadership & Board

The people behind Wounded Warriors

Small team. Volunteer board. 4 consecutive years of IRS Form 990 on the public record. Every name, every compensation figure, and every family relationship below is disclosed — on our filings and on this page.

5 of 6
Independent directors

Directors with no family or business tie to the President or VP.

83%
Board independence ratio

Meets IRS Form 1023 guidance and Candid Platinum governance benchmark.

1 paid
Officer on payroll

President only. VP + all 6 directors serve without compensation.

4
Consecutive 990 filings

Published fiscal-year returns for 2022–2025; view each filing for its tax period.

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 Disconnected phone numbers, outdated VA clinic listings, three-month waitlists for programs that were supposed to respond in days.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, builds the product, and personally reviews cases when the emergency-aid queue surges.

Publicly disclosed on IRS Form 990. FY2025 compensation: $81,545 on $571,632 total revenue (14.3% of revenue). Full Form 990 Part VII compensation table is publicly viewable on ProPublica.
View the FY2025 filing on ProPublica →

Vice President

Serves without compensation, per the most recent Form 990.

Dru Kahlenberg

Vice President
Volunteer officer · Serves without compensation

Board of Directors

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); 2 are disclosed related-parties who recuse 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 voted by independents only

The President's compensation is set by the independent directors — Austin Parkes recuses. Documented in board minutes and Form 990 Part VII.

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 →

Every number on this page is verifiable.

Published Form 990 returns are available for fiscal years 2022–2025. Names, salaries, family relationships, and governance data above come directly from those filings — all public.