Dennis DeVaughn – Founder, President and Chairman of the Board
“Football taught me about teamwork and how to communicate with others. We achieved more when we worked together and learned how to resolve our individual conflicts.”
A former NFL player with the Philadelphia Eagles and USFL player with the Houston Gamblers, Dennis is one of the founding members of Athletes for Change. A longtime Dallas area resident, he was concerned about the lack of local residential treatment facilities for at-risk youth. Currently these youth are forced to go to centers far outside the region and he wanted a place where they could work through their issues while keeping their families involved in the process.
Dennis grew up in South Central Los Angeles and Dallas. He credits sports as the reason why he didn’t fall into the trap of gangs or drugs. After a solid football career at Bishop College (Dallas) and an MVP award from the Sheraton Black College All-Star game (Jackson, MS), Dennis was selected in the fifth round of the 1982 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played cornerback for the Eagles under head coach Dick Vermeil. He continued his football career with the USFL Houston Gamblers and played with Jim Kelly and Ricky Sanders.
Dennis has always enjoyed working directly with kids as a volunteer coach and substitute teacher at several Dallas ISD schools. He created the Athletes for Change organization specifically to improve a child’s character and self-esteem through a rigorous curriculum that encourages academics, athletics and personal discipline. It is his goal to give these kids the hope and confidence to make their transition back into society successful and rewarding.
Hudson Henley, J.D – Vice President
Hudson Henley is the shareholder of Adobe Title, LLC, a company licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance to furnish title insurance for residential and commercial transactions in the State of Texas. He also owns a real estate management company that oversees his personal and other clients’ properties in the East Dallas area.
Hudson grew up in the Dallas, Texas area. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Political Science and continues to take an active interest and role in politics. He is an avid physical fitness enthusiast and traveler.
Hudson’s legal career began with his acceptance at the University of Texas School of Law where he graduated in the top third of his class in 1991. After graduating from law school, he gained practical experience in civil litigation with two different law firms before deciding to start his own practice at the ripe age of 29. For the past decade, he has dedicated his career to helping the victims of carelessness.
Maureen Murphy – Co-founder and Secretary
Maureen is a highly accomplished executive management professional with a proven track record of over 30 years in marketing, sales and project management. In her previous role as Program Manager at St. Jude Medical, Maureen led a cross-functional team responsible for bringing relief to millions of people who suffer from Migraine headaches, Chronic Pain and other severe conditions.
Within Athletes for Change, Maureen oversees the strategic, financial, and administrative operations of the Athletes for Change organization. She has volunteered as a Board Member for several Texas child advocate organizations to help improve the experience for the many youth that are currently in foster care or the juvenile justice system.
Janice Goines – Treasurer
A former mathematics and computer science teacher, Janice served the community for more than 30 years, ending her career as a District Director for the Dallas Independent School District. Janice has dedicated her life to helping students improve themselves academically and assisting low-performing schools establish and implement action plans to resolve underlying problems.
Janice was awarded Teacher of the year in 1989 and 1994. After teaching at South Oak Cliff High School (Dallas) for twenty years, she was asked to come to the district level to administer a fifteen million dollar Urban Systemic Program grant from the National Science Foundation. She coordinated a district-wide campus improvement process for targeted schools where she designed and wrote mathematics, science and technology curriculum and implemented teaching strategies to turn things around.
Janice has a Masters of Mathematical Education from University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelor of Natural Sciences from Bishop College (Dallas).
Valerie Heaton – Board Member
Valerie Heaton is a successful realtor for Ebby Halliday Realtors. Her background of over 30 years working for herself as well as several Fortune 500 companies allows her to bring valuable insight to running an ethical and productive venture.