Burger Named Goodwill’s New President & CEO
September 2, 2015, Press ReleaseJOHNSTOWN, PA, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015— Goodwill of the Southern Alleghenies.’s Board of Directors announces the appointment of Bradley R. Burger as the agency’s new President & CEO, replacing Phyllis J. Bandstra who retired this month after 20 years with the agency.
Burger has held several senior positions with affiliate Goodwills over the past 20 years. His first position was in 1995 as a Clerical Instructor with Goodwill Industries of Pittsburgh. Later that year, he was promoted to the Director of Goodwill Employment Training Center. In 1999, he was promoted to Director of Education, and later that year was promoted to Associate Vice-President for Human Services serving through 2005 when he was promoted to Vice-President for Human Services.
In March 2008, he became Pittsburgh Goodwill’s (renamed as Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania in 2009) Vice-President for Retail until September 2009 when he accepted an appointment with Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (Kansas City) as President & CEO. Under Burger’s executive leadership, the struggling agency touted positive financials in less than three years and added 300 employees.
Burger served as Kansas City’s President & CEO through October 2013, and then President & CEO Emeritus through December 2013 when he returned to his roots in Pittsburgh and rejoined Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania as Assistant Vice-President for Retail until this month when he resigned in August to lead Goodwill.
Burger stated, “It is great to be back in an area that I know so well and that holds deep family roots for me. I am thankful to the Board for giving me this opportunity to build upon the strong leadership standard that Phyllis has set for the agency. I am confident that we will continue to expand services to individuals and families with employment barriers through the generous support of our donors, shoppers, and partners.”
Burger holds a Master of Education in adult education from the Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from California University of Pennsylvania. He has held certifications in career development facilitation, human resources development, and executive leadership. In his diverse career, Burger has provided consultation services to other Goodwill operations including those in Rome, Italy. He has actively served on various accreditation oversight efforts in independent colleges and career schools. He has also been active in his community as a borough councilman.
Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (GICV), Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1962 to empower individuals and families with employment barriers to achieve their fullest potential in the community through work services. Headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, GICV serves individuals with disabilities and disadvantages, dislocated workers, youth, and other job seekers throughout south central Pennsylvania in the counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset and a portion of Westmoreland by providing education and career services as well as job placement and postemployment supports. GICV is a community-based member organization of Goodwill Industries International, a 179-member network in the U.S., Canada, and 13 other countries. Learn more at www.gicv.org.