Tom Burns is the former Chair of the Board of Trustees at Avila University. He joined the university’s Board of Trustees in 2019. Mr. Burns has spent his career in a variety of accounting and finance roles across several industries, currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer at the World’s Largest Labor & Employment law firm Littler Mendelson P.C. in Kansas City. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola University of Chicago. Additionally, Tom passed the CPA exam and was a four-time letter winner at Loyola Chicago as a member of the Varsity Soccer team. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Mr. Burns and his wife Patty have lived in Leawood, KS for over 25 years and raised their four children in Kansas.