MaryJo Burchard, Ph.D.

Experience

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  Koinonia Christian Fellowship

  May 1998 - May 2001

  Director, Children's Training, Development, and Outreach

  Recruited, trained, hired, and supervised heads of various children’s departments; recruited, screened, scheduled & staffed volunteers annually for weekly services of various sizes and genres, organized and oversaw annual community outreach events that averaged 30-100 volunteers, and organized and directed children’s choirs and ensembles. During my tenure, the department grew from 88 volunteers annually, serving 185 children weekly, to 160 volunteers annually, serving over 300 children weekly. Developed training and development for teams serving each developmental stage, and a youth leadership/mentoring program, integrating their training into leading the children. Created and/or tailored curriculum for various age groups and venues for weekend services, mid-week programs, and special events. Provided training for children’s ministry workers in other churches and/or denominations as needed. Founded a family outreach team, which trained and mobilized families for community service and performing arts, both locally and abroad (Mexico, 2000; England, 2001). Show less

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  Champions Recovery Alternatives

  Apr 2001 - Mar 2003

  Teen Program Supervisor

  Developed and oversaw a leadership development program for at risk/high risk teens. The program included training in life/social skills, anger and grief management, character development, and community outreach. Despite the trouble they were emerging from, many of the youth in this program were brilliant and sensitive. They just needed someone to believe in them, and invest in them accordingly.

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  Kings County Behavioral Health

  Mar 2003 - Apr 2004

  Youth Leadership Development Contractor

  As an independent contractor with Kings County Behavioral Health and Kings County AOD prevention, I provided leadership development and outreach opportunities for middle- and high-school students in Kings county. This included supervising all of the activities and reporting for Friday Night Live chapters, and creating community service/outreach opportunities for the youth. Some of my favorites helping the youth paint murals in community areas, and develop game shows about alcohol, drug, and tobacco awareness, and taking the game shows to elementary school assemblies. Many of these kids have grown to become community activists themselves - teachers, foster parents, and other community leaders who are still paying it forward. Show less

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  Fresno Pacific University

  Apr 2004 - Jul 2014

  I developed and taught courses in a way that facilitated immersive courageous discovery and built community and genuine connection, whether in person or online. The undergraduate and graduate courses I taught for the School of Business were in areas such as group and organizational behavior, leadership and change, ethics and values in leadership, organizational communication, and human resource management. I was a valued contributor to program improvement, SLO articulation, rubric creation, and course re-formatting/development, including designing the content and delivery in Moodle. I also mentored numerous adjunct faculty members who were new to blended or flipped classrooms. Show less As Assistant Director of Fresno Pacific University in Visalia, I oversaw the admissions team and processes for the graduate programs and coordinated/spearheaded outreach to make education accessible to anyone hungry to learn within the area, through FPU. I trained and directly supervised the staff responsible for graduate admissions. Since we were pioneers at a new Regional Center, we continuously evaluated how we were reaching our potential students: Who were we missing? Who was falling through the cracks, and how could we connect? Working closely with the program directors of graduate programs, I facilitated constant quality enhancement and process improvement, deconstructing and rebuilding our processes to better fit who we were and the people we served.Assisted the Director of the FPU Visalia Center with staffing oversight and strategic networking with community colleges, nonprofits, and other community organizations. Show less Began as admissions supervisor with a mission to democratize learning in 2004, and became Asst. Dir. in 4/2006. Our Regional Center served the adult/nontraditional learner, the fastest growing group in higher ed at the time. To stay ahead of the curve, I constantly explored new ways to train and develop our team of 10 that served in multiple communities from Fresno to Bakersfield. Led multi-site virtual meetings and disbursed strategic improvement planning. Constantly in search for better ways to empower adult students develop their educational plans and career paths, and brainstormed how to constantly improve/enhance academic sustainability. Developed strategic partnerships with other community and educational institutions, looking for new, more accessible ways to help anyone interested have the power to keep learning, no matter their income or first language.Conducting a regional learning needs assessment, I discovered that the area's rural ESL adult women were hugely under-served, with no voice to guide them through the process. After identifying the key programs needed and conducting a cost-benefit analysis, I proposed the development of strategic partnerships with two community colleges to provide academic advising on-site at rural workplaces, and then worked with program directors to redesign their delivery to be (at the time) cutting edge hybrid online/on-site rural cohorts with deep online engagement between instructors, students, and student support. During the years that the partnership was active, over 200 students completed their BA degree programs through FPU, on 3 rural community college campuses over the course of 6 years. Most of these were first generation college graduates, many with English as their second language who previously had no advocate to help them reach their learning potential. Served as remote-site student and faculty ombudsman, facilitating and overseeing the ongoing remote operations of the off-site educational programs. Show less

  • Adjunct Faculty: Instructor, Subject Matter Expert/Curriculum Developer

    Aug 2009 - Jul 2014

  • Assistant Director, Graduate Admissions and Outreach

    May 2010 - Jun 2014

  • Assistant Director - Visalia/ Lead Program Rep

    Apr 2004 - Apr 2010
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  City of Virginia Beach, Human Resources (L&D)

  Jan 2015 - Jan 2019

  Learning & Development Analyst III (Trainer/Internal OD Consultant)

  I worked to make curiosity contagious in the City. Fed the hunger to get better and be better, whether managers, teams, or colleagues. Asked brave questions to keep (re)designing systemic delivery to make learning more resonant, scaleable, and fun. Alongside the L&D team and working closely with the Strategy, Transparency, Innovation, & Resiliency (STIR) office, I oversaw key strategic collaboration initiatives to develop the 7000+ City employees. When teams struggled with changes, I facilitated safe and humane change readiness interventions. Co-created better ways to shape organizational behavior, manage change, improve customer experience, and alignment. Created/updated curriculum for 30+ trainings. Conducted the 2015 Citywide Learning Needs Assessment, with the ODU Industrial Psychology team. Based on results and Employee Satisfaction survey, developed training in accountability, employee engagement, time/ project management, conflict resolution, collaboration + creativity, and communication.Converted Info Security F2F training and Finance Dept.'s training library into SCORM-compliant Captivate 8 e-learning courses. Partnered with SMEs and oversaw, facilitated, and maintained the New Supervisors' Boot Camp intensive; content included hiring, screening/interviewing, onboarding, etc. Eventually, I became the go-to internal consultant for several departmental leaders and workgroups needing help in sensitive/complex issues. Assessed performance and mission alignment gaps for effectiveness and delivered customized, empathy-informed interventions, focused training, group coaching, and strategic development in numerous departments. Before leaving, I orchestrated a new "grow-your-own strategic leaders" process: developed, implemented, piloted, updated, and rolled out a Citywide training for new Facilitators and Trainers in the City, in collaboration with L&D, the Office of Volunteer Resources, and the STiR (Strategy, Transparency, Innovation, and Resiliency) Office. Show less

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  Regent University

  Feb 2015 - now

  Adjunct Faculty, School of Business and Leadership

  I oversee qualitative and quantitative research in both the PhD and MA in Organizational Leadership programs. My instructional emphases include: organizational change, organizational behavior, motivation, self-compassion in leaders, organizational ethics, women in leadership, and organizational spirituality. I strive to challenge students to conduct research that explores leadership as a means to empower their fellow humans to become the best version of themselves, individually and corporately. I serve as chair and reader/panelist for both qualitative (phenomenological, case study, exegetical, narrative analysis, socio-rhetorical analysis approaches) and quantitative doctoral dissertations, and I chair MA-level culminating projects. Show less

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  Concord Leader

  Jul 2018 - now

  Co-Founder and Principal Consultant

  Leading through chaos isn’t just a skill—it’s a necessity. I help executives and teams turn disruption into strength.Today’s workforce is overwhelmed, fractured, and unmoored—distracted by noise, drained by unpredictability. The biggest threats to your organization’s stability? They’re often sudden, chaotic, and unscripted. Old leadership tools are failing. I equip leaders and teams with the clarity, grit, and readiness to stabilize now and thrive through whatever’s next. You need me if you’re facing: • ✅Mandatory tough change—and want to avoid a trail of burnout or turnover • ✅A need to pivot fast, effectively, and humanely • ✅Tools that no longer cut it for team alignment, trust, or resilience • ✅A desire to tackle hard shifts without losing your people or your edgeHow I deliver: • ✅Uncover the hidden drivers of instability (yours and your team’s) • ✅Pinpoint what’s really stalling progress—trust gaps, focus drift, or misalignment • ✅Build tailored, no-fluff solutions to harden resilience and prep for any stormResults: • ✅Stable teams. • ✅Clear leaders. • ✅Chaos-ready organizations. Let’s talk.(email: Dr.Burchard@ConcordLeader.com) - let me know your pain points, and we'll explore solutions that fit. -MJ Show less

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  MasterMinds Leadership

  Jan 2019 - Aug 2019

  VP of Strategic Leadership

  I utilized executive coaching, (TTI/DISC certified) data-driven consulting, and leadership/team development to help leaders and businesses create a culture of inspiration, ever-increasing effectiveness, and accountability in times of crisis. As the VP of Strategic Leadership, I specialized in helping leaders, groups, and organizations facing major change, and developed and delivered leadership development training. While with MasterMinds Leadership, I conducted leadership development for groups such as GM Financial, Lone Star Credit Union, and TEXO (professional association for construction contractors). I continue to be a strategic partner with MasterMinds. Show less

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  The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth

  May 2024 - Nov 2024

  Chief Learning Officer

  I helped them standardize and expand their reach in the trauma-informed professional development space. I curated a collection of standard core PD trainings with immersive, practical, and fun learning experiences that impart the trauma-informed, restorative values and skills that educators in healing schools need.