Our Mission
The Foundation for First Responder Wellness and Resiliency is dedicated to enhancing the mental health and overall well-being of public safety first responders through the establishment of FORWARD Centers. Our mission is to connect first responders with confidential access to comprehensive clinical treatment and educational resources, fostering a culture of support, resilience, and long-term wellness. By offering culturally competent care, health and wellness services, education programs, and financial counseling, we aim to empower and strengthen the first responder community. With unwavering commitment, we strive to break down barriers, raise awareness, and advocate for the critical need for mental health support for those who bravely serve and protect our communities.
Partnerships
How we help:
The Foundation for First Responder Wellness and Resiliency (Foundation FRWR) will operate an outpatient wellness center dedicated to providing comprehensive mental health support for first responders. Through our partners, the center will offer culturally competent and confidential clinical treatment, health services, education programs, and financial counseling. The FORWARD Center will create a safe and anonymous space, breaking down barriers of stigma and job-related consequences. The center will serve active and retired first responders and their families, recognizing the ongoing need for wellness services into retirement.
We will conduct research to establish best practices and evidence-based strategies to help us understand what works to support first responders in the real world. Our goal is to find down-to-earth, actionable solutions that make real and measurable differences in the lives of first responders.
By prioritizing accessibility and taking a holistic approach, the Foundation aims to significantly improve the overall well-being and resilience of the first responder community.
Meet Our Team
Board officers:
Maggie A. DeBoard
President and Co-Founder
Maggie is a 38-year law enforcement professional who currently serves as a chief of police in Virginia. She has served at the executive level in both large and midsize agencies in the state and is a past president of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. In that position she lobbied the VA General Assembly to pass groundbreaking mental health legislation for first responders to provide workers compensation for anxiety and depression. She has developed and instituted progressive wellness initiatives for her agency that have been recognized on the national level and works both regionally and at the state level to passionately advocate for wellness programs, policies, and resources for the first responder community.
Jaysyn Carson
Vice President & Co-Founder
Andrew Vita
Treasurer
Corey Parker
Secretary
Board Members:
Dr. Michael Bourke
Michael is a clinical and forensic psychologist in private practice in Northern Virginia. He served as a federal law enforcement officer for more than two decades, including 13 years as Chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit for the United States Marshals Service, before retiring in 2021. His professional experience before coming to Virginia includes work in Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, and North Carolina in several county jails and state prisons, a juvenile detention center, and two federal prisons. He was a volunteer firefighter in North Carolina for three years and was an Emergency Medical Technician in Oklahoma for two. An active researcher, Michael has published numerous articles on vicarious trauma, and he recently co-edited and published a handbook for clinicians who work with first responders.
Thomas Manger
Chief Tom Manger has been a law enforcement officer for 45 years. He began his career with the Fairfax County Police Department and rose through the ranks to serve as Chief from 1998-2004. Manger then became the Chief of the Montgomery County, MD police department for the next 15 years. Chief Manger currently leads the United States Capitol Police, being appointed in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol. Manger was elected by his peers as President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association from 2014-2018.
David Povlitz
With 30 years of experience in fire, rescue and emergency medical services, David Povlitz is serving as a fire chief in the National Capital Region. David’s background includes information technology integration, emergency communications, training, and emergency management support. David has strong relationships with city, county, state, and regional public safety agencies. David has interests in partnering with many organizations and agencies to improve public safety and behavioral and mental health with new and novel approaches.
Kristina Moore
Kristina Moore is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Viginia working with the first responder population. She has over 15 years of experience working in local government. Before transitioning her career into behavioral health, she worked for approximately 10 years as a Public Safety Communicator answering and dispatching emergency 911 calls. She is also the spouse of a first responder, the daughter of a retired law enforcement officer, and the granddaughter of the fire rescue service. Her professional and personal experiences have opened her eyes to the need for behavioral health resources specifically for first responders. Her goal is to assist first responders in meeting their unique behavioral health needs in a compassionate, non-judgmental manner and to reduce any stigma associated with seeking these types of services.
Advisory Board:
Eric Golnick
Co-Founder, Executive Vice President, and CEO of Forge VFR
Eric co-founded Forge Health after his own experience overcoming trauma and alcohol misuse. Since 2016, he has opened multiple outpatient treatment facilities in multiple states specifically for Veterans, First Responders, and their families. He secured a national level partnership with the Veterans Administration, the first of its kind, in 2018. He currently sits in multiple state Governor Challenge to Prevent Suicide working groups as well as board leadership positions on multiple Veteran nonprofit organizations. Eric graduated with honors from the University of Miami in 2009. He attended U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School shortly after and was commissioned as a Naval Officer. He was involved in multiple operations and exercises throughout Asia including a position with Commander of U.S. Naval forces in Japan. After finishing his time in the Navy, Eric worked as a senior foreign policy analyst and worked directly with the President’s National Security Council, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the U.S. Congress on many topics regarding U.S. foreign policy.
Vickie H. Taylor
Edward J. Nuttall
General Counsel
An experienced trial attorney, Edward has received Martindale Hubbell’s highest rating of “AV Preeminent” in the areas of Criminal Law, Litigation, and Family Law. Edward has been named as one of the Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys in Virginia by the National Trial Lawyers Association and a Top Criminal Defense Attorney and Personal Injury Attorney by Northern Virginia Magazine and Washingtonian Magazine.
Edward has tried civil and criminal cases throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and Washington, DC. His experience as a prosecutor has allowed him to build a successful criminal practice. Edward is also an experienced civil litigator and is a recognized authority on police use of force issues in Virginia, having represented law enforcement in over twenty police shooting cases since 2002, serving as General Counsel to the Fraternal Order of Police Fairfax Lodge 77.
Edward is an active member of Autism Speaks, a national advocacy group, where he sits on the Board of Directors, serves on the Sponsorship and Community Outreach Committees, and serves as Chairman of the National Capital Area Autism Speaks 5K.
