testimonials

Time and again, I’ve seen him demonstrate exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and the ability to turn contentious situations into opportunities for progress.

I learned much from Steve. Over a short period, and by his direction we accomplished great things that remain a source of pride.

I have had the privilege of working closely with Steve Burton for over fourteen years (2008-2022), during which time I witnessed firsthand his exceptional ability to unite divided organizations and guide them through complex transformations.

When Steve and I began working together in 2008, he was tasked with one of the most challenging undertakings in organizational leadership: reuniting United Centers for Spiritual Living (“UCSL”) and International Centers for Spiritual Living (“ICSL”) – two branches of religious science that had been separated for a half a century – into a newly formed Centers for Spiritual Living (“CSL”).

What Steve accomplished over the following years was nothing short of remarkable. Heorchestrated the work of more than fifteen diverse teams, each addressing different aspects of organizational design, culture, and governance. These teams, drawn from both UCSL and ICSL, worked under Steve’s leadership to create an organizational design model, comprehensive bylaws, a detailed policies and procedures manual, and an affiliation agreement for what would become CSL. Throughout this process, Steve demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to build consensus among people with deeply held and often conflicting cultures, perspectives, and priorities.

Steve and I served together on CSL’s legal committee from approximately 2009 through 2022. Steve coordinated our committee of attorneys from both organizations, skillfully guiding us to reconcile the various design teams’recommendations into cohesive foundational documents. Steve organized our agendas, facilitated productive discussions on complex internal and eternal issues, and ensured we developed appropriate resolutions for annual and special meetings.

Between 2010 and 2011, Steve orchestrated a comprehensive approval campaign that included regional meetings across the country to familiarize member communities with the foundational documents and address concerns. His efforts culminated in the February 2011 annual meetings where UCSL, ICSL, and the newly formed CSL each approved the re-integration with votes exceeding 97%—a remarkable achievement that speaks to Steve’s diplomatic skills and his ability to create genuine organizational buy-in.

Following the successful re-integration, Steve became CSL’s first Director of Operations. During my five years serving alongside him on CSL’s inaugural Leadership Council (2012-2017), I witnessed Steve mediate complex leadership disputes within the Council itself. His intervention led to a strategic realignment of the organization’s executive structure and, in Spring 2016, to his appointment as CSL’s first Executive Director—a position he held until his retirement in April 2022.

Steve’s crisis management capabilities are equally impressive. On multiple occasions, I worked with him to mediate disputes between CSL and its member communities, as well as conflicts within individual communities. In one particularly noteworthy instance, Steve successfully reversed a hostile takeover attempt that threatened a community’s multimillion-dollar property holdings. Through his intervention, he not only prevented the theft of these assets but also restored the community to good standing within the organization.

What distinguishes Steve as an organizational troubleshooter is his unique combination of skills. He possesses the strategic vision to identify systemic problems and design comprehensive solutions. He has the political acumen to work with stakeholders holding vastly different viewpoints and guide them toward common ground. He demonstrates the executive capability to oversee complex implementation processes while developing the skills of everyone involved. And perhaps most importantly, he has proven crisis intervention abilities that enable him to stabilize organizations in distress and restore them to healthy functioning.

Any nonprofit organization facing financial challenges, leadership transitions, internal conflicts, or governance crises would benefit immensely from Steve Burton’s expertise. His fourteen-year track record of successfully uniting divided organizations, resolving high-stakes disputes, and building lasting institutional frameworks makes him uniquely qualified to serve as a professional troubleshooter for organizations in distress. In short, Steve brings the rare combination of diplomatic skill, executive acumen, and proven crisis-resolution experience that struggling organizations need most.

Geoffrey S. Sindon
Attorney at Law
Westlake Village, CA