President & CEO, United Way of the Ozarks
Greg Burris serves as the President & CEO of United Way of the Ozarks in Springfield, Missouri. In this role, Greg and his team are responsible for serving a 14-county area in southwest Missouri. During the past few years, the United Way of the Ozarks’ board of directors and staff have reengineered almost all aspects of the organization to increase the impact on the community and improve performance metrics and storytelling.
Prior to serving in his current role, Greg served as the City Manager of Springfield for ten years where he was responsible for 2,300 employees, a $366-million annual budget, and more than $1.3 billion in assets.
Greg married up, was born on Halloween, is a recovering computer programmer, formerly worked as a custodian and a lumber stacker, was a professional musician with limited talent for 12 years, worked for 25 years at Missouri State University, may be the only computer programmer put in charge of the design and construction of an 11,000-seat basketball arena, has a passion for great customer service, once made a half-court shot 24 seconds before halftime in the State high school basketball championship game, pole vaulted for a school that had neither a pole nor a pit, and enjoys French Silk Chocolate Pie (typically, alone in a dark corner).
Greg intends to retire from United Way of the Ozarks on June 30, 2024, and will focus on the Give 5 Program and the Patient Companion Program.
How Does Philanthropy Missouri support your work in the philanthropic sector?
Philanthropy Missouri allows me to check my bearings. Having access to so many philanthropy practitioners gives me access to a world of expertise. We all live in our bubbles – Philanthropy Missouri helps me break my bubble and learn about industry initiatives and strategies being used around the state.