ABOUT US
We are the premiere resource for organizations seeking
personable and focused support around philanthropy,
education and executive leadership.
The Burtin Group is a professional consulting partner helping a broad range of industry leaders, executive management, and community stakeholders improve the effectiveness of their organizations. The Burtin Group helps a wide range of clients at all stages of growth. Our advice and support in critical areas such as strategy, executive coaching, educational leadership, fund development and other help our clients thrive in an increasingly resource-constrained environment.
Darnell Burtin is the Managing Partner of The Burtin Group, LLC. Darnell’s responsibilities include oversight & management for the organization’s philanthropy practice, operations, community engagement and diversity equity & inclusion space.
A native of Chicago, Darnell was the son of a city of Chicago IT professional and an office worker turned stay at home mom; beginning at the age of 13, young Darnell would often accompany his mom to the Salvation Army, where she worked as an office manager, to help serve food to the homeless in the Rockwell Garden Housing Projects. Excelling academically and athletically Darnell would be offered and accept a scholarship to attend Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. He began his career as engineer, winning awards for technical sales and brand marketing in GPS technology at International Harvester before moving over to software sales & consulting at Hyperion-Oracle. In 2002 Darnell moved into the philanthropy space, on the advice of a mentor, serving as the lead fundraiser on the successful 50 million-dollar Kroc Center Capital Campaign Project, Chicago. Realizing his passion for community service and education Darnell relocated to Washington, DC to serve as Assoc Director of Development at Georgetown University. Since Darnell has served at numerous organizations in leadership roles such as Special Olympics International, Mobile & Direct Marketing Associations in New York and YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. In 2017, having worked in senior leadership on campaigns totaling over 3 billion dollars raised & having personally raised over 300M, Darnell stepped away to focus full time on helping organizations build strong brand valuation, create sustainable philanthropic and capital campaign strategies for development teams, recruit/retain/build diverse fundraising teams through a DEI lens, help organizations secure investment & start-up funding and serve as counsel for organizational board development. He also is much sought after as a moderator, panelist, public speaker and subject matter expert in the areas of diversity equity inclusion, board development, major giving and philanthropic community impact within urban communities.
Darnell is a member of several local and national boards most notably involved with the CJ Mogan Foundation, for fallen West Point Cadet CJ Morgan. Darnell is the father of three and husband to Anika (Burtin). In additional he serves as AAU coach and as a mentor to a number of young leaders in the for and nonprofit space.
Dr. Anika Spratley Burtin has served as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Johns Hopkins University and the University of the District of Columbia. Before working in higher education she was a high school English teacher and administrator. In addition, she has worked as an educational consultant, curriculum writer, and professional development facilitator for schools in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Chicago. Dr. Burtin worked for ten years as a national teacher trainer for the College Board. She is an expert in the field of adolescent literacy and she has spent the majority of her career working to improve teaching and learning in urban schools.
Anika holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Northwestern University, a Master of Arts in English Education from Columbia University's Teachers College, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Spelman College. Anika is a frequent presenter at national conferences, including the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the International Literacy Coaching Summit.
Publications:
https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/88/05/880559fd-afb1-49ad-af0e-e10c8a94d366/ccny_report_2010_tta_lee.pdf
http://www.adlit.org/article/34644/
http://www.adlit.org/article/34643/
http://www.adlit.org/article/34642/
Our Leadership
DARNELL BURTIN
Darnell Burtin is the Managing Partner of The Burtin Group, LLC. Darnell’s responsibilities include oversight & management for the organization’s philanthropy practice, operations, community engagement and diversity equity & inclusion space.
A native of Chicago, Darnell was the son of a city of Chicago IT professional and an office worker turned stay at home mom; beginning at the age of 13, young Darnell would often accompany his mom to the Salvation Army, where she worked as an office manager, to help serve food to the homeless in the Rockwell Garden Housing Projects. Excelling academically and athletically Darnell would be offered and accept a scholarship to attend Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. He began his career as engineer, winning awards for technical sales and brand marketing in GPS technology at International Harvester before moving over to software sales & consulting at Hyperion-Oracle. In 2002 Darnell moved into the philanthropy space, on the advice of a mentor, serving as the lead fundraiser on the successful 50 million-dollar Kroc Center Capital Campaign Project, Chicago. Realizing his passion for community service and education Darnell relocated to Washington, DC to serve as Assoc Director of Development at Georgetown University. Since Darnell has served at numerous organizations in leadership roles such as Special Olympics International, Mobile & Direct Marketing Associations in New York and YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. In 2017, having worked in senior leadership on campaigns totaling over 3 billion dollars raised & having personally raised over 300M, Darnell stepped away to focus full time on helping organizations build strong brand valuation, create sustainable philanthropic and capital campaign strategies for development teams, recruit/retain/build diverse fundraising teams through a DEI lens, help organizations secure investment & start-up funding and serve as counsel for organizational board development. He also is much sought after as a moderator, panelist, public speaker and subject matter expert in the areas of diversity equity inclusion, board development, major giving and philanthropic community impact within urban communities.
Darnell is a member of several local and national boards most notably involved with the CJ Mogan Foundation, for fallen West Point Cadet CJ Morgan. Darnell is the father of three and husband to Anika (Burtin). In additional he serves as AAU coach and as a mentor to a number of young leaders in the for and nonprofit space.
Dr. ANIKA S. BURTIN
Dr. Anika Spratley Burtin has served as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Johns Hopkins University and the University of the District of Columbia. Before working in higher education she was a high school English teacher and administrator. In addition, she has worked as an educational consultant, curriculum writer, and professional development facilitator for schools in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Chicago. Dr. Burtin worked for ten years as a national teacher trainer for the College Board. She is an expert in the field of adolescent literacy and she has spent the majority of her career working to improve teaching and learning in urban schools.
Anika holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Northwestern University, a Master of Arts in English Education from Columbia University's Teachers College, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Spelman College. Anika is a frequent presenter at national conferences, including the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the International Literacy Coaching Summit.
Publications:
https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/88/05/880559fd-afb1-49ad-af0e-e10c8a94d366/ccny_report_2010_tta_lee.pdf
http://www.adlit.org/article/34644/
http://www.adlit.org/article/34643/
http://www.adlit.org/article/34642/