David Burke graduated from Tufts University in 1957. Soon after, he received his MBA from the University of Chicago.
Mr. Burke's passion for labor issues led him to work with future Secretary of Labor and Secretary of State George Schultz to produce a major policy report entitled “The Public Interest in a National Labor Policy” for the Committee for Economic Development. The report would lay the groundwork for creating a national labor relations policy.
In 1960, Mr. Burke continued working on labor issues as he served on President John F. Kennedy’s Labor Advisory Council.
In 1963, Mr. Burke joined the staff of the newly elected Senator Edward M. Kennedy as his legislative aide and then chief of staff. During this period, Mr. Burke worked with Senator Kennedy to end quotas restricting immigration from non-European countries, influence the Supreme Court to end the “poll tax,” which was used to prevent minorities from voting, and expose the US Department of State’s neglect of Vietnamese refugees displaced by the US military bombings campaigns.
In 1971, Mr. Burke became Special Assistant to the Chairman at the Dreyfus Corporation, where he continued his commitment to civic engagement by creating the Third Century Fund, a mutual fund portfolio that invests only in socially conscious companies and is still active today.
Asked to return to public service, Mr. Burke joined the administration of the newly elected Governor Hugh Carey of New York as Secretary to the Governor, the second ranking position in New York state government. Mr. Burke created the team and guided the policies that rescued New York City from bankruptcy, which threatened the economic stability of the entire state of New York.
In 1977, Mr. Burke was named vice president of ABC News. During his time at the network, Mr. Burke worked with Roone Arledge to elevate ABC News from third place in the ratings to first place while creating a major figure in broadcast news with Peter Jennings. Mr. Burke would also oversee the creation of institutional news programs like Nightline with Ted Koppel and 20/20 with Barbara Walters.
In 1987, Mr. Burke became the president of CBS News where he oversaw the network's continuing coverage of the Tiananman Square protests. CBS was the only American network to have an anchor and news crew on site broadcasting live, which allowed much of the world to witness the historic events.
Mr. Burke was appointed by President Clinton in 1994 to to serve as the first chairman of the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, the entity that today oversees Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia. The Broadcasting Board of Governors created an annual award for its most intrepid journalists in Mr. Burke’s name.
Today, Mr. Burke serves on the Board of Directors of the John F. Kennedy Library where he is also a member of the Profiles in Courage Award committee. He is also a founding Board member of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Study of the United States Senate.
Mr. Burke has been married to his wife Trixie for 50 years and has five children. He lives in Eastham Massachusetts.
