BCCA Our Story

Our Story

The power of together.

The Burnham Center for Community Advancement (BCCA) brings together leaders and communities across San Diego and our binational region to build trust, foster civic dialogue, develop solutions, and shape the region’s future.

Co-founded in 2020 by civic leaders Malin Burnham and Tad Seth Parzen, the Burnham Center for Community Advancement is grounded in a shared belief: moving our region forward takes more than good ideas. It takes collaboration, trust, and collective action.

Mission

We help make the San Diego region a better place to live, work and play for all.

Our Process

  1. Engage and inform

    the public through meaningful civic dialogue and community engagement.

  2. Identify opportunities

    to address regional challenges and create a vibrant future.

  3. Collaborate, organize and mobilize

    people and organizations to bring those opportunities to life.

Our First 5 Years

Ideas to Action.

Telling the story of our work and the people who make it possible, our 5-year retrospective highlights our programs, partnerships and progress.

Read the report
BCCA Our First 5 Years Cover

Challenge

Good ideas are not enough.

San Diego is home to world-class research institutions, innovative businesses, talented leaders, strong community organizations and a diverse population. But our region also faces issues that cross neighborhoods, sectors and borders.

Division and distrust make collaboration harder. Persistent challenges require more coordination than any one organization can provide. And promising ideas stall when the people and resources needed to act remain disconnected.

We believe San Diego can do better.

Solution

Turning ideas into action.

BCCA creates a platform for collaboration around the issues that matter most to our region, bringing together civic leaders, businesses, educators, workers, researchers, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, residents, and government.

By sharing ideas, examining challenges and developing solutions we can create a region that opens doors, expands opportunity and helps more people prosper.

“BCCA brings people together, cultivates trust, and transforms bold ideas into collective action. They are the spark behind partnerships that shape our community.”
Peter Ellsworth
Former BCCA Board Member

Our Approach

Community engagement.

We create opportunities for people to participate in the civic life of our region.

Civic dialogue.

We bring diverse perspectives together to encourage understanding, strengthen relationships and find common ground.

Research and data.

We use evidence, community insight and best practices to better understand challenges and identify opportunities.

Regional collaboration.

We connect people and organizations across sectors, communities and the San Diego–Tijuana region.

Action.

We help move promising ideas from conversation to implementation.

Founders

  • Malin Burnham 7x4 1

    Malin Burnham

    Co-Founder, Board Chair Emeritus

    A lifetime of leadership and service.

    As a business leader, entrepreneur, philanthropist and civic champion, Malin has dedicated his life to making San Diego a national model for innovation, collaboration and opportunity.

  • Tad Seth Parzen 7x4 1

    Tad Seth Parzen

    Co-Founder, President & CEO

    An approach built on common ground.

    Tad guides BCCA’s efforts to bring civic leaders, businesses, educators, nonprofits, government, researchers, and residents together to move regional priorities forward.

Malin Burnham

Malin Burnham

Co-Founder, Board Chair Emeritus

Malin has been Chairman of John Burnham & Company Insurance and Burnham Real Estate and has been involved in the business since 1949. In 2008, Burnham Real Estate was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield.

Malin is a native San Diegan who graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering In addition to his involvement with the Burnham Companies, he has been active as a board member of several major corporations and 16 firms. His present involvements include: Board Member of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, UCSD Foundation, Rady School of Management, and the USS Midway Museum, and is Chairman of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine.

Mr. Burnham has chaired nine major non-profits and has co-founded 14 organizations in his career, most providing direct benefit to San Diego. He’s also been a world-recognized sailor for five decades and has helped San Diego achieve prominence in both local and professional sports. At age 17, he became the youngest skipper to win a World Championship in the International Star Class. In 1987, he played a leading role in bringing the America’s Cup to San Diego. He is a former partner/owner of the San Diego Padres and the San Diego Sockers.
Tad Seth Parzen

Tad Seth Parzen

Co-Founder, President & CEO

Tad Seth Parzen is the President and CEO of the Burnham Center for Community Advancement, which he co-founded alongside longtime civic leader Malin Burnham in 2021. Tad is a leader in the San Diego region, renowned for his long-standing commitment to civic causes and expertise in collaborative community development. With extensive experience in the legal, education, philanthropy, government, and nonprofit sectors, he brings a unique and multifaceted perspective to his work. Recognized for his exceptional leadership and his contributions to both the Burnham Center and the community, Tad was named Nonprofit CEO of the Year and one of San Diego’s 500 Most Influential People by San Diego Business Journal, and Champion for Community and Education by IQ Podcast and Sycuan.
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After his early career as a trial lawyer and partner in the law firm of Hillyer & Irwin in 2000, Tad leaned into his commitment to the public good as general counsel for the San Diego Unified School District, one of the largest urban districts in the United States. He continued his public service journey through collaborative work with philanthropy, government, and nonprofits serving as the Executive Vice President at Price Philanthropies. Immediately prior to founding the Burnham Center, Tad led Parzen Civic Solutions, a private-sector entity designing and building cross-sector collaborations to enhance communities. His work has been funded by some of our nation’s largest foundations.
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Tad has contributed his time and expertise to many regional civic organizations, including the Institute of the Americas, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Business Roundtable for Education, World Design Capital 2024, Jewish Federation of San Diego County, San Diego Jazz Ventures, and American Jewish Committee, among others.
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In 2024, Tad gave a TEDx Talk titled Finding Community During Periods of Crisis (One Decision at a Time). The talk explored the global public and private sector industry profiting from fear and division, which Tad refers to as the “Conflict Industrial Complex.” He discussed how this industry hinders humanity’s potential, how we can reclaim control over our shared destiny, and the belief that nothing is impossible. You can watch the TEDx Talk here. Tad has also been featured on multiple podcasts, most recently, Jailbreak Leadership: Reweaving Community Fabric.
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Tad holds a B.A. from UCLA in philosophy and a J.D. from McGeorge School of Law where he was a member of the Law Review.

Strategic Plan

A clear path forward.

Defining priorities, goals and actions, BCCA’s strategic plan guides our work and keeps us focused on measurable regional impact.

Read Our Strategic Plan