Bio
Brian Burnett, who formerly was the president/CEO of a firm, now helps leaders understand and implement best practices for internal leadership and ownership transitions.
As his former company’s senior leader, Brian was responsible for business development, strategic planning, leadership development, and internal transitions for various corporate leader positions. This broad‐based knowledge of design firms’ cultures and operations provides Brian the necessary insight to assist leaders at engineering and architectural firms in integrating the various components of strategic planning and leadership development into a successful internal ownership transition.
Brian helped lead his former firm through four major transitions: in 1985, Brian became a partner and Vice President when the founder of the company retired; in 1997, Brian became President; in 2003, Brian became the President/CEO upon the retirement of a 40-year corporate leader; and from 2013 to 2017, Brian helped the company replace and transition nine major leadership positions including his CEO position. Overseeing this final transition required extensive planning and leadership development over an eight-year period prior to his retirement.
Brian Burnett holds the Harrison Assessments Debriefing/Coaching and Employee Development accreditations. With these accreditations, Brian has demonstrated a competency in delivering high quality debriefing and coaching to individuals using Harrison Assessments reports. His debriefing sessions create an opportunity for a person taking the assessment to explore their strengths and weaknesses, important traits for their job position, and areas of improvement for their development. Brian can also provide insight into specific action steps that can be taken by the person to advance their job performance.
Brian has his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of New Mexico. Brian is a registered professional engineer in New Mexico, and in 2017 he became a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers. Brian and his wife, Celia, have two children and three grandchildren. Brian and Celia enjoy family activities, volunteering, and Bikram Yoga.