ABOUT NDF
Built to back
what works.
The Nicholas Dockery Foundation partners with mission-driven nonprofits to support evidence-based alternative therapies that produce real, measurable outcomes for people navigating anxiety, depression, PTS, suicidal ideation, and the full range of mental and emotional health challenges.
Corporate Sponsors
Supporting nonprofits that provide evidence-based alternative therapies for people with trauma.
NDF doesn’t run therapy programs. We partner with, vet, and connect the organizations that do, bringing them the resources, relationships, and network that help good programs reach more people.
Rather than delivering services directly, NDF focuses on reliable support, expert connections, and accountability that allows nonprofits to plan for the future rather than scramble for survival.
Our vision is to help individuals overcome the effects of trauma to reach their highest potential and live their best lives, by strengthening the ecosystem of organizations making that possible.
PROGRAMS WE SUPPORT
We partner with organizations that meet a clear standard, not just good intentions.
Nicholas Dockery, Founder & Board Chair
The Founder
I’ve spent my career in places where trauma isn’t theoretical.
You see its impact on people from every background, children, families, veterans, first responders, and communities carrying stress that follows them for years. Traditional treatments help many, but I kept running into programs outside that system delivering results most people never hear about.
Art therapy, equine-assisted therapy, and other approaches weren’t fringe ideas. They were credible, supported by practitioners, research, and real outcomes. What they lacked was visibility, access, and a network that connects them.
The Nicholas Dockery Foundation exists to close that gap. We back organizations with proven models, ease the resource pressure that slows their growth, and support ethical, accountable work. We also bring providers together because collaboration, shared learning, and consistent standards move the entire field forward.
My goal is simple: expand access to therapies that work and strengthen the ecosystem behind them. Recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all. People deserve options that meet them where they are and help them move toward where they want to be.
— Nicholas Dockery, Founder
Leadership
Board of Directors
Nick Dockery is a decorated U.S. Army Special Forces officer and national security professional with years of service. He is the recipient of the Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest military decoration — as well as two Silver Stars and two Purple Hearts.
Nick is a graduate of West Point and Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, and is currently pursuing an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a 2026 Presidential Leadership Scholar and former White House Fellow.
Nick founded the Nicholas Dockery Foundation in May 2025 after experiencing firsthand how evidence-based alternative therapies — across equine, art, creative expression, and other complementary modalities — can reach people navigating mental and emotional health challenges when nothing else has. His goal is to expand access to these therapies by partnering with and strengthening the nonprofits delivering them.
Christopher Nuneviller is the Founding Principal, President, and CEO of both MNB Meridian Defense, Ltd. and MNB Meridian Law, Ltd. — firms operating at the intersection of national security, defense, and legal services.
Chris brings extensive experience in defense industry leadership and legal counsel, providing NDF with critical guidance on governance, organizational structure, and the national security community relationships central to NDF’s mission.
Daniel Mathews is an active-duty Army Public Affairs Officer with nearly 20 years of distinguished experience in strategic communications. He has served in a wide range of roles spanning media relations, crisis communications, and organizational messaging at the highest levels of the U.S. Army.
Danny brings NDF a rare combination of military credibility and communications expertise — ensuring the foundation’s story is told accurately, compellingly, and to the right audiences. He serves as NDF’s primary media contact for press inquiries.
Dr. Leslie Stelljes-Nanson is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Co-Founder of Aspen Grove Wellness, where she leads efforts to expand access to integrative mental health care across Virginia, Maryland, and all PsyPact states.
Dr. Stelljes-Nanson brings NDF the clinical expertise essential to evaluating partner programs, vetting evidence-based outcomes, and ensuring that the alternative therapy organizations NDF supports meet the highest standards of care. Her background in integrative mental health directly aligns with NDF’s mission to advance therapies that reach people across the full spectrum of mental and emotional health challenges.
Greg C. Simon is a nationally respected leader in health innovation, science policy, and public advocacy. His career spans senior roles in Congress, the White House, global pharmaceutical companies, and entrepreneurial ventures spanning more than four decades.
Greg has shaped the architecture of biomedical progress in the United States — including serving as President of the Biden Cancer Initiative and as Chief Policy Officer at Pfizer. He brings NDF deep expertise in health policy, nonprofit governance, and the intersection of science and public advocacy that defines NDF’s evidence-based approach.
Kelly Facer is a senior media executive with extensive experience leading and growing nationally recognized brands across digital media, publishing, and news. She has overseen operations and strategy for organizations including Cheddar, Rate My Professors, Sightline Media Group, Military Times, Defense News, Sunset, HistoryNet, TechCrunch, and Foundry.
Kelly brings the Nicholas Dockery Foundation a powerful blend of business leadership, operational discipline, and philanthropic commitment. Her background in scaling organizations and building strategic partnerships helps strengthen the foundation’s mission and long term impact.
She is also deeply involved in supporting military families and veterans through her service with the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation and Fisher House Foundation.
Advisory Board
Brian Kitching serves as Vice President of Global Operations at SoFi, one of the leading digital financial services companies in the United States. He brings NDF expertise in organizational operations, financial services, and the veteran-focused community that SoFi serves. Advisory Board members agree to make their expertise and knowledge available to the board of directors and select program partners as applicable.
Lieutenant General Robert Caslen retired from the U.S. Army after a distinguished career spanning decades of service, including as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He brings NDF unmatched credibility within the military community and deep relationships across the national security and veterans’ affairs space that are central to NDF’s mission.
Casey King is a senior executive in artificial intelligence at Microsoft and a lecturer at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, where he teaches on big data, public policy, and the political economy of technology. His work spans DARPA-funded research and advisory roles with the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Treasury, the FBI, the SEC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has published widely and contributed to documentary film on policy and technology. At Microsoft, Casey focuses on how advanced AI and cloud infrastructure move from promise to production inside some of the world's most complex organization's. He holds degrees from Tulane, Harvard, and Berkeley, and a doctorate from Yale.
General Joe Votel served nearly four decades in the U.S. Army, including senior commands across special operations and U.S. Central Command. Since retiring he has continued to lead in national security and the private sector, with deep expertise in counterterrorism, human rights, geopolitics, emerging threats, and the impact of global affairs on business. He brings NDF a rare combination of strategic perspective, operational experience, and an unwavering commitment to the people who serve.
Chris has advised many of the wealthiest client families around the globe, who have trusted that he will always act in their best interest and with the utmost confidentiality. Coming from a family of corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and physicians, Chris is highly strategic and quick to discern his client's key priorities. He graduated from New York University cum laude and is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA). Chris is a native of Bronxville, NY, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He serves as President of the Board of The Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe. Outside of work, Chris is an avid golfer and basketball player, and serves as an usher at his local church
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