President

Gary P. Burns*

Augusta, ME

Vice President

Arthur H. Wilson

Cold Spring, KY

Secretary/Treasurer

Dennis A. Joyner

Longwood, FL

Director

Donald L. Samuels

Gallatin, TN

Director

Alan W. Bowers

Royalston, MA

Director

Daniel Contreras

Santa Fe Springs, CA

Director

Sal R. Tornatore

Huntington Station, NY

Ex-Officio Member

Wallace E. Tyson

Clearwater, FL

*As President of the Board, Mr. Burns guides the Foundation's efforts to ensure disabled veterans and their families receive DAV services as long as they are needed. He is also closely involved in the oversight of “The Columbia Trust” a restricted trust fund within the Foundation, which provides grants to a variety of DAV service programs.

A native of Augusta, Maine, Mr. Burns enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967 and served as a member of the 1st of the 327th Infantry, C Company, 101st Airborne Division. He received multiple shell fragment wounds on April 21, 1968 during an operation against enemy forces in the Ashau Valley of Vietnam. He was medically retired from the Army as a Sergeant in 1969.

Mr. Burns joined the DAV’s professional staff on January 5, 1970 as a National Service Officer (NSO) at the DAV National Service Office in Togus, Maine. He was transferred to the DAV National Service Office at White River Junction, Vermont in the fall of 1970 to serve as supervisor. He served there until the fall of 1972, when he was transferred back to Togus, where he served as supervisor until retiring in February 2000.

A life member of John F. McPherson DAV Chapter 1, in Togus, Mr. Burns has been highly active in DAV Chapter and Department functions, to include serving on a variety of Chapter and Department committees and as DAV Department of Maine Commander in 1978. He is also highly active in his community, currently serving on the board of directors of the Capital Area Recreation Association. Additionally he served as a member of the Augusta City Council from 1986 to 1990. As a result of his community leadership, the Calumet Club of Augusta honored Mr. Burns as its 26th annual “Outstanding Citizen” in May 2001. In July 2001 Mr. Burns was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame for his devotion to promoting youth baseball.






Nancy L. O'Brien
Administrator
Cold Spring, KY

Nancy was appointed Director of Foundation & Workplace Giving for the 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in 1990. She joined the DAV’s staff in 1972 and has progressed through a series of increasingly responsible administrative posts at the organization’s National Headquarters during her career. Nancy serves a vital role and is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Foundation's business operations. With more than 39 years in nonprofit management, her broad-based experience has exposed her to the administration of nearly every aspect of operations of the DAV, one of America’s largest, most respected charities. Additionally, Nancy serves as a member of the Military Family & Veterans Service Organizations of America Board of Directors. MFVSOA is a federation representing charitable organizations in employee workplace fund drives nationwide. She has been a member of the Board since the inception of MFVSOA in 1994. Nancy is an honors graduate of Morehead State University, Morehead, Ky.