Sheila P. Burke

Sheila P. Burke (born Her family politics were as Democrats, but Burke would later change to the Republican party. Burke went to Our Lady of Mercy School in Merced, California. She received a B.S. in nursing from the University of San Francisco in 1973. She later earned an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School in 1982.

Career Burke's early career was as a nurse, and she worked at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California, and served as student affairs director of the National Student Nurses Association. In 1974

Burke connected with Senator Bob Dole through a third party. Senator Dole was looking for someone to deal with the health matters. She came in with little to no experience working in Washington or the Senate. In 1978 she began as a staffer for the Senate Committee on Finance, and from 1982 until 1985 she served as deputy staff director for that committee. She was the first woman chief of staff to a Senate majority leader.

Throughout her time working with Senator Dole, Burke was extremely careful to only provide him with the information he needed to make good decisions and not try to influence him in any way that was incompatible with his Republican views. Burke was elected secretary of the Senate in 1995. She served in this role until 2000 when she went to the Smithsonian Institution to serve as the under secretary for American museums and national programs. She held this position through 2003. From 2004 until 2007 she was the deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the Smithsonian Institution.

As of 2023, Burke works as a strategic advisor at Baker Donelson in Washington, D.C., and Georgetown University.

Awards and honors In 2004 Burke was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. In 2008 she received the David Rall Medal from the Institute of Medicine. New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing awarded her with their Helen Manzer Award in 2016.