about
🤝 About Us
Empathy. Resilience. Community.
Founded in 2015 by Dr. Dwayne L. Buckingham, The Empathy & Resilience Center is a nonprofit organization committed to expanding access to compassionate, community-based support for veterans, military families, underserved communities, and individuals facing barriers to care.
2015
Year Founded by Dr. Buckingham
25+
Years of Behavioral Health Experience
40K+
Individuals Served Worldwide
22
Years of Military Service
Our Mission
Why We Exist
Our mission is to expand access to compassionate, community-based support for active-duty military, veterans, and their families, as well as individuals from underserved, underinsured, and low-income communities — by addressing barriers to healthcare, mental health services, and essential resources through trauma-informed and culturally responsive programs.
Our Vision
Where We're Headed
We envision communities where active-duty military, veterans, underserved, underinsured, and low-income populations are supported through successful transitions, equitable access to care, and pathways to long-term stability, resilience, and well-being.
Core Values
Six Principles That Guide Everything We Do
Every decision, every service, and every relationship at TERC is shaped by these values.
Human Dignity & Individual Worth
We honor the inherent value and uniqueness of every individual. Our work centers on empowering people from within by supporting self-worth, personal agency, and the removal of barriers that inhibit growth and healing.
Access Without Barriers
We are committed to reducing disparities in care by ensuring services are accessible regardless of income, insurance status, or circumstance. We strive to meet people where they are and remove every obstacle to support.
Equity & Fairness
We believe everyone deserves fair, high-quality support and the opportunity to thrive. We actively work to address systemic inequities and ensure our programs are delivered with fairness, accountability, and respect.
Cultural Responsiveness & Empathy
We provide services grounded in empathy, understanding, and respect for lived experience. We recognize empathy as essential to building trust, fostering connection, and supporting meaningful progress.
Relationship-Centered Care
We prioritize authentic, relationship-based engagement that centers the needs, voices, and goals of those we serve. Our approach is collaborative, responsive, and grounded in trust.
Excellence & Accountability
We uphold high standards of service through continuous training, professional development, and ethical practice — remaining accountable to our clients, partners, funders, and communities.
DB
Meet Our Founder
Read Founder Bio
Built from Service & Purpose
Dr. Dwayne L. Buckingham is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of The Empathy & Resilience Center. He established the organization in 2015 in response to growing concerns about the declining mental health and well-being of active-duty service members, veterans, African Americans, and other underserved, underinsured, and disadvantaged communities.
25+ Years of Behavioral Health Experience
22 Years of Military Service
40,000+ Individuals Served Worldwide
Founder of The Empathy & Resilience Center (2015)
Founder of the Empathy, Resilience & Transformation (E.R.T.™) Framework
National Speaker, Author, and Educator
Governance
Meet Our Board of Directors
Empathy & Resilience, Inc. is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors committed to mission integrity, ethical leadership, financial stewardship, and community impact. The Board provides oversight and strategic guidance to ensure the organization operates in alignment with Maryland nonprofit requirements and IRS expectations for charitable organizations.
DP
Board President
RADM Deirdre Presley
Provides leadership focused on ethical governance, community trust, and mission-centered service delivery. Prioritizes organizational accountability, financial integrity, and strategic program development — ensuring strong compliance practices while expanding services that uplift communities impacted by stress, trauma, and social hardship.
Read BioIM
Board Treasurer
Dr. Ifevinwa Maduka, DNP, PMHNP
Provides financial oversight to ensure the organization operates with integrity, transparency, and sound stewardship of resources. Brings strong financial discipline and a commitment to building systems that sustain long-term community impact and protect donor trust.
Read BioHG
Board Secretary
Henry Gregory
Ensures the organization maintains accurate and lawful governance records, meeting documentation, and compliance-ready board processes. Strengthens operational reliability by ensuring board actions are properly documented and governance practices are consistent with Maryland nonprofit requirements and IRS expectations.
Read BioPB
Member-at-Large
Philip Beasley
Offers strategic input and community-centered support with experience in community engagement, social education training, government, youth development, and business. Ensures services remain culturally responsive, community-connected, and rooted in dignity, respect, and sustainable impact.
Read BioAS
Member-at-Large
Rev. Abraham Smith
Supports the expansion of accessible community programs with experience in public health, nonprofit leadership, ministry counseling, community organizing, and mentoring. Focuses on developing partnerships that strengthen TERC's capacity to deliver high-quality services to individuals and families in Maryland communities.
Read Bio
Board Roles & Responsibilities
How Our Board Governs with Integrity
The Empathy and Resilience Center's Board of Directors serves as the fiduciary body responsible for guiding the organization toward long-term sustainability through sound governance, ethical leadership, and responsible financial oversight. The Board works in partnership with the President and CEO to ensure the organization has the strategic direction, policies, and resources necessary to fulfill its mission.
The Board provides critical programmatic and fiscal guidance, ensuring TERC operates effectively, transparently, and in alignment with its charitable purpose. Board members bring professional expertise, lived experience, and community insight that strengthen organizational decision-making and accountability.
Board Position Statement: As board officers and members, all participants serve in a volunteer governance capacity focused on fiduciary oversight, ethical compliance, and mission advancement, consistent with Maryland nonprofit law and IRS governance expectations.
🧠 Duty of Care
Board members exercise reasonable care in decision-making and oversight, ensuring the prudent use of organizational assets — including facilities, personnel, financial resources, and goodwill — while advancing TERC's effectiveness and sustainability.
🛡️ Duty of Loyalty
Board members act in the best interests of TERC at all times, placing the organization's mission above personal or professional interests and avoiding conflicts of interest in all governance decisions.
📜 Duty of Obedience
Board members ensure that TERC complies with applicable laws and ethical standards, adheres to its stated mission and governing documents, and conducts all activities consistent with its charitable purpose.
Ready to Be Part of Something Real?
Whether you need support, want to give, or want to serve — there is a place for you at TERC. Healing begins with one courageous step.
