Running the corporate race at a world-class pace

He relaxes from his role as a corporate CEO by running at a pace that many people half his age would envy. His philanthropy to Duke occurs at a rapid tempo, too. Burgess and his wife, Lisa, were the first to establish a professorship through The Duke Endowment’s Fuqua Faculty Support Challenge. Their gift of $1.75 million was matched dollar for dollar, endowing the Mark Steven Burgess and Lisa Benson-Burgess Professorship in the Fuqua School of Business. The holder will focus on global business, leadership and/or operations. 

In his speedy style, Burgess paid off the gift immediately so it could make an impact sooner. “Otherwise,” he says, “we'd have to wait another two to five years to see that.”