Burton Bridges (’09)

Burton Bridges was very active and involved as a student. During his four years at CBU, he served on the Student Government Association and was VP of Senate during his senior year. He served on the Honors Council and was a member of Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity — which named him National Collegian of the Year in 2009. He was a founder of the CBU chapter of the Alpha Psi Omega theatre honor society and was elected its president. He was also named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He was a member of the CBU delegation to the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature and was elected Mr. CBU (Homecoming King) in 2009. He also found time to volunteer for the Tax Assistance Program and Target House. When he graduated with his BSBA with a concentration in Finance, he was the recipient of the Brother I. Leo Outstanding Student Leadership Award, presented annually to a graduating senior who has provided distinguished student leadership, and the Wall Street Journal Award from the School of Business.

“Aside from all the wisdom gained from CBU professors, staff, and the Brothers, I owe the start of my career to Dr. Tracie Burke and the late Brother Vincent Malham who — in a chance meeting in his office — strongly encouraged me to interview for an internship at ALSAC/St. Jude,” Burton says. “As a junior, I was only thinking about my busy semester, whereas they were looking out far beyond my time at CBU by helping me to envision my future profession.”

Almost 15 years later, he is still at ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He spent more than a decade there working in various positions in Field Development, where he helped establish multimillion-dollar partnerships and designed innovative strategies to acquire public support for St. Jude. He also managed to find the time to further his education and earn a Master of Arts in Journalism from University of Memphis in 2016 — and was promoted to the position of Associate Director of Strategy & Communications, wherein he led a diverse project management and communications team that produced dynamic content and memorable experiences for St. Jude supporters nationwide. He was recognized for his success in that position in 2020 by being selected as a member of Leadership Tennessee NEXT, a leadership development program for rising leaders across the state. Today, Burton serves as a Principal Advisor on the Enterprise Operations team, serving as a strategist and working to operationalize ALSAC’s strategic plan and to support various enterprise-wide projects and initiatives.

Around Memphis, Burton is also deeply involved in the artistic community as a stage actor and storyteller with professional and community theatres, including Theatre Memphis, Playhouse on the Square, Emerald Theatre, and Friends of George’s. In 2019, he was recognized as one of 50 “Young Cultural Innovators” from around the world and awarded a fellowship by the Salzburg Global Seminar for his work in the arts and nonprofit sectors.

Burton is also a board member of Friends of George’s, a theatre troupe and nonprofit that works to raise queer visibility and funds for various local LGBTQ+ causes. He has also served on the board of directors of the DeNeuville Learning Center for Women, which works to empower women through education by preparing them to take the HiSET exam (formerly GED) and/or take the naturalization test, or to learn English as a second language, for more than a decade. He has been a volunteer since 2007 for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center and is a committee member for their Works of Heart Gala & Auction. He previously served as a board member of the CBU National Alumni Association and Delta Sigma Pi.

‘Leave to serve’ made a lasting impression on me. So much of my life, including my career, has centered around public service and supporting charitable causes. I sometimes think that CBU’s Lasallian ethos is akin to an energetic force nudging us to help others and to give back to our community.