Written by Anne Lynch
Eighty percent of the Denning Technology & Management (T&M) Program’s student and alumni community don’t know a T&M without Robert “Bob” Burgess. Many of the other 20% have gotten to know him since his first day in the fourth-floor suite in May 2014.
The Georgia Tech community has long known Bob. As a graduate student, lecturer, and director of the T&M Program, his time at the Scheller College of Business predates the current building and spans four name changes before the college took on its current name.
On June 30, 2026, we will officially congratulate Bob on a job well done and celebrate his retirement from the Georgia Institute of Technology after 26 years of dedicated service.
Terry Blum, director of the Institute for Leadership and Social Impact (ILSI) and former Scheller dean, said, “One of my best actions as dean was to arrange for Bob to join the faculty as a lecturer in Operations Management. He has continuously demonstrated his competence and excellence in contributing to student success throughout his career. Bob is truly a great and caring colleague.”
After 14 years of teaching any and every course that came his way, Bob packed up his library of management textbooks and settled into an office at the back of the T&M Program suite as our administrative director. Next, he set about strategically mapping our calendar year alongside Sheena Brown, John Stanford, Jenni Jarrett, and me. He vowed to let us run the program for a full year before he made any changes.
When the year was up, he began methodically optimizing our ebb and flow to even out the workload and enhance student outcomes. With a background in engineering and management, he exemplified Steven A. Denning’s goal of creating diverse business leaders who could navigate technical and business challenges. Corporate affiliates joined Bob in his modifications, and over the years, they together changed the look and feel of our signature pre-capstone and capstone semesters.
Ravi Subramanian was T&M’s faculty director when Bob was appointed, and he writes, “Bob was an incredible fit for the responsibilities required of the position — a perfect balance of the expertise and qualities needed for success for all stakeholders — students, alumni, faculty, program staff, corporate affiliates, and benefactors.”
Ravi’s leadership as T&M’s faculty director was succeeded by Han Zhang, who served for eight years. Han writes, “It was my honor to work with Bob for over eight years. He was the best partner I could have asked for — meticulous, steady, and always supportive. We got through the pandemic together. Without him, none of the Denning T&M Program’s accomplishments would have been possible.”
Most recently, Eric Overby, professor of Information Technology Management, has taken on the role of faculty director and the additional title of Steven A. Denning Professor of Technology and Management. Together, Bob and Eric focused on the upcoming transition to secure a replacement who would echo Bob’s dedication in their own unique way. We found that in our long-time partner, Tony Burdett.
We could go on and on about Bob’s accolades, but one of his noteworthy accomplishments was supporting his core program staff team through the last 12 years.
Along with Sheena Brown, John Stanford, and myself, the team graduated 699 students across 12 cohorts and welcomed 121 students into the Class of 2027 and the Class of 2028. On Mr. Denning’s request, they inaugurated the international experience by taking 72 students on a whirlwind trip to Western Europe that is now the stuff of legend and referenced at every alumni reunion. They also sat together for a conference call when the pandemic started in China and had to pivot from distributing Chinese visas to canceling a much-awaited spring break 2020 trip.
Sheena reflected, “Bob has been a thoughtful steward, phenomenal mentor, and dedicated leader. Always so generous with his time and wisdom. It has been a personal privilege and honor to serve alongside him for 12 years.”
John said, “The thing I most appreciate about Bob is the quiet confidence and sense of calm professionalism he brought to the program. No matter what life stress or work stress was happening, Bob always provided a comforting presence that I valued.”
And what’s not mentioned in most retirement reflections but is at the heart of work teams that somehow become work families over late-night events and tough decisions, is the collective life that was lived. Bob, Sheena, John, and I have walked alongside each other through some of the best and worst times.
We have welcomed babies and lost parents and elders. We have been through hospital stays — for ourselves or family members — and we have sent care packages to each other over the years. We have celebrated our own milestones and those of our students and alumni. Through graduate school, new jobs, marriages, births, startups, acquisitions, and leadership across all aspects of life, we have also stood beside countless others as they grieve the loss of jobs and family members. Our team has also mourned the loss of two dear alumni, Forrest Mercier and Reeves Broussard, who left us way too young. Among the four of us, over the last 12 years, a lot of life has been lived.
Bob Burgess has been our steady, constant. For 26 years, he has quietly served the Georgia Institute of Technology. He hasn’t sought recognition, and frankly, even this tribute will likely make him uncomfortable. But he deserves it all, and his legacy will go on.
Where does T&M go from here?
We’ll be strong and stable after his 12 years of leadership, and we’ll rest assured that he’s smiling in his retirement while his thoughts meander over regression analysis, FORTRAN punch cards for programming, reports written to secure final funding for nuclear reactors, and the oh so many moments shared guiding T&M students through capstone projects, internship searches, grad school applications, and the Docusign forms.
To honor Bob, we have established the Robert H. Burgess Student Excellence Award to recognize a graduating student who is an outstanding leader, collaborator, and team member who has made a profound impact on their cohort and capstone project. The inaugural recipient is Samantha Dugan.
Thank you, Bob. You have left a legacy and a sturdy foundation for T&M’s future. And as you proudly proclaimed at your final T&M event alongside the Class of 2026, it is time for you to graduate!
