He Stepped Aside but Ended at the Top

A Strong Sense of Self to Guides Steve Gunther’s Leadership Style

Written By: Ed Mauss

Editor-in-Chief: Rick Gibson

Publisher & CEO: Christopher Luna

Steve Gunther's four-decade career offers a masterclass in knowing your limits, trusting your people, and steering a venerable institution into its boldest chapter yet.

Many executives spend their careers accumulating titles and authority. Steve Gunther once gave his back—voluntarily, without another job lined up—because he decided he wasn’t the right person to run a new, potentially transformational program for the social services organization he served. That decision, gutsy and counterintuitive, turned out to be the move that launched him toward ever greater success for the rest of his career. This level of integrity and organizational commitment also exemplifies the servant leadership that has characterized Gunther’s forty-plus years of work to assist vulnerable communities.

Since 2009, Gunther has served as the President and CEO of Maryvale, Los Angeles's first orphanage, founded by the Daughters of Charity in 1856. Now in its 170th year, Maryvale has evolved far beyond its origins–operating early childhood education centers, community mental health programs, and transitional housing for single mothers. As the first secular (but nonetheless religious) leader in the organization's modern history, Gunther has guided Maryvale through what may be its most consequential transformation in over a century. 

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