Greg Burris has been eyeing retirement for more than half a decade, but others have always told him it's not the right time.
In 2018, Burris had retired from his decade-long role as Springfield City Manager. Just nine days after he announced his retirement, he was selected as executive in residence at the United Way of the Ozarks (UWO). A year later, Burris would find himself in the top executive role at the organization, where he spent the last five years guiding the nonprofit as it weathered the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In early-2023, Burris tried, once again, to retire from UWO, but the timing was not right and he said he would stick around for another half a year. That appointment somehow turned into a whole year, he said.
Burris will finally retire June 30, 2024, according to a United Way press release. He jokes he doesn't know how long this one will last.
“People are starting to say ‘Either you're really good at retirement or you're really bad at retirement,” Burris said. “I haven't figured that one out yet.”
In Burris' five years at the helm of the UWO, he helped refocus the organization on two areas — championing children and pathways out of poverty, according to the release. Burris also helped introduce new community engagement programs like United for Greatness, Community Field Trips and Women United, which launches this year.
Search committee for Burris' replacement is underway
![Founder of Good Dads, Dr. Jennifer Baker, explains what new goals were created for her non profit through United for Greatness. Text on the image reads, "[United for Greatness] was probably one of the most helpful things an organization has done [for Good Dads.]"](https://hauxeda.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/United-for-Greatness-Carousel_1.png?resize=780%2C780&ssl=1)
Even now, the June 30 retirement is not a hard date, Burris said.
“I've told the board I'm flexible, so that they get somebody in here early who's eager to go and and wants to get started, I'm fine stepping aside,” Burris said. “I'm also fine staying for a few extra weeks if they hire somebody from out of town who doesn’t have the community connections.”
A search committee to replace Burris as the president of UWO has been formed, with its first meeting set for mid- to late-February, Burris said. Dave Agee, partner at Husch Blackwell, has been selected as chair of the search committee.
The search committee's “goal is to try and have somebody selected and hired by June 30,” Burris said.
60-30-10 model for investments
Along with refocusing the organization, Burris also spearheaded a new investment method for the UWO. About two years ago, the nonprofit switched to a 60-30-10 model for picking organizations to fund.
Sixty percent of UWO's funds are dropped into upstream programs, which address the root causes of social issues, Burris said.
“Moving more than half your resources into upstream development is a bold move,” Burris said.
Thirty percent of funds go into downstream programs, which are essentially safety net programs that address issues like food insecurity and homelessness. The last 10% of funds are reinvested into innovation programs, a completely new focus for UWO.
UWO is “sort of dipping our toes in the water of helping to promote innovation in the nonprofit industry,” Burris said.
“A really good time for a transition”
Burris' goal is lay the groundwork and help the next CEO in order to ensure a smooth transition of leadership for United Way of the Ozarks, he said.
“It should be a really good time for a transition where a new leader can come in and hit the ground running and not have anything significant on their plate,” Burris said. “I don't want to leave any crying babies on the doorstep.”
Burris, of course is no stranger to transitions. His decade-long role as Springfield City Manager helped him get to know the community he would later represent as CEO of the UWO.
“I like to think that I was selected for that job because of my naive willingness to take things head on,” Burris said. “In that chair, you get to see how much people care about their community, but you also learn how much you don't know.”
“It's a humbling experience, but... [it was] an incredible opportunity to set me up for this portion of my career of getting to lead the United Way of the Ozarks.”
