Mr. Burke is originally from Chicago and got his BS in Engineering from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He later earned his MBA from the University of California Irvine. Mr. Burke has lived in Lompoc for over 20 years, and is now in his 14th years as a teacher at Lompoc High. Before becoming a teacher, Mr. Burke spent 20 years in private industry in the Chicago, Orange County and Lompoc areas.

In addition to his love for teaching in the classroom, Mr. Burke leads a cooking goup for students. The club allows students to learn the basics of cooking for themselves, learn to cook good food on a budget, and every so often we will dive into "foodie" creations. Food is the universal language. If you can cook, you can sit down with anyone and begin a conversation.