Roger Burns

Tony is a global human capital and talent transformation leader with a distinguished career spanning academia, the finance industry, and the U.S. Air Force. With a deep expertise in designing and executing enterprise-wide learning and organizational development strategies that accelerate performance, strengthen leadership pipelines, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

As an adjunct professor in the Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University and a doctoral candidate in Business Administration, specializing in Management, Tony integrates teaching, research, and consulting experience with a focus on human resource management and military veterans. He teaches undergraduate courses in human resource management, bringing corporate and military insights into the classroom.

In the financial services industry, Tony championed initiatives to streamline onboarding, reduce training costs, and implement innovative learning programs that improved employee engagement and organizational performance. He also developed and scaled sponsorship and mentoring programs, optimized learning management systems, and designed training frameworks that impacted more than 200,000 employees across North America and four international regions.

After 20+ years in the U.S. Air Force, Tony retired as a Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) following a career leading large-scale organizational development initiatives across five states, in addition to Japan, and six deployments to Germany, Qatar, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. At both the Pentagon and the Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, he influenced policies and programs that shaped a global workforce of more than 697,000.

Tony is currently an active member of the Association of Talent Development Greater Atlanta Chapter. In his personal life, he enjoys barbecuing, traveling, and spending time with his wife and three children.Roger Burns, Ph.D.

Roger is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations translate strategic ambition into sustainable operations and scaled impact. With 30 years of senior leadership experience across workforce development, education, cultural, and

faith-based sectors, he has developed deep expertise in organizational strategy, philanthropic funding, government relations, and cross-sector partnerships.

Throughout his career, Roger has worked collaboratively with boards, staff, and community stakeholders to develop and implement strategic and operational plans. He excels in diagnosing organizational challenges, designing sustainable systems, building authentic partnerships with funders and government stakeholders, and leading teams through complex growth and change. Known as a strategic operator who brings clarity to complexity, Roger understands the intersection of mission, strategy, and financial sustainability—and how to align all three to strengthen organizational impact.

Roger holds a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Cincinnati, an M.Div from Lexington Theological Seminary, and a B.S. in Political Science from Missouri State University. Roger is a father of three children, and resides in the Atlanta metro area with his wife. A Missouri native, Roger is an avid fan of all Kansas City sports teams.