Mary Patricia Burke (born April 30, 1959) is an American businesswoman and a member of the Madison, Wisconsin school board since April 30, 2012. She was the Democratic candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in the 2014 election. Burke is a former executive at Trek Bicycle Corporation; she also served as the Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce from January 2005 to November 2007. She is the daughter of Trek Bicycle Corporation founder Richard Burke.
Video Mary Burke
Early life and education
Mary Burke is the second oldest of the five children of Richard Burke, founder of Trek Bicycle Corporation. She grew up in Hartland, Wisconsin.
She graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University, where she received a degree in business administration. She then attended Harvard Business School, where she earned a master's of business administration degree in 1985. She also attended the London School of Economics.
Maps Mary Burke
Career
Burke began her career as a consultant in New York and Washington, D.C., working for McKinsey & Company and briefly starting her own firm. Burke returned to Wisconsin to work for Trek, working as head of European operations and, later, as director of strategic planning. In 2005 Burke was appointed Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce by Governor Jim Doyle.
She left the post on November 1, 2007 to spend more time on family interests and non-profit work, particularly the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County. In 2008 Burke led a study on the financial troubles facing Milwaukee schools. In 2012, she was elected to a seat on the Madison school board after spending $128,000 of her own money on her campaign.
During Burke's gubernatorial campaign, two former Trek executives alleged that Burke had been forced out of her position in the European division at Trek due to financial losses and issues with her management style. Burke and her brother John, the CEO of Trek, denied the allegations. It was also later discovered that the individuals making those allegations had themselves been let go, one of whom was himself fired for "incompetence."
After Burke left Trek, she went on a two-year break, including a four-month snowboarding trip in Argentina and Colorado. She subsequently returned to a different position at her family's company.
2014 gubernatorial election
On October 7, 2013, Burke announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Governor Scott Walker in the 2014 Wisconsin gubernatorial election. According to Politico, she had campaigned as a moderate. In August 2014, she was tied with Walker in the polls.
In September 2014, Burke acknowledged that portions of her jobs plan, "Invest for Success", were copied from previous proposals by other Democratic gubernatorial candidates in other states. The Burke campaign fired consultant Eric Schnurer, who had worked on those campaigns, for the unacknowledged copying.
On November 4, 2014, Burke lost the election to Governor Walker, who won with slightly more than 52% of the vote, virtually the same as his first gubernatorial win.
Political positions
Burke supports the Common Core State Standards Initiative. She opposes school choice and stated that she would eliminate Wisconsin's new statewide voucher program and private school tax deduction in the next budget if elected. She has taken a firm stance against having to show an ID to vote. Burke is pro-choice. She favors restoration of collective bargaining for teachers and state employees in Wisconsin and supports raising the minimum wage to $10.10. Burke supports the legalization of medical marijuana and same-sex marriage. Burke supports the Affordable Care Act and favors expanding it through making more people eligible for Medicaid.
Personal life
Burke donated $450,000 to Road Home, a nonprofit agency serving homeless families in Dane County. She has also supported the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County and Madison Prep, a charter school.
Burke joined with teacher Kate Brien to found AVID/TOPS, a non-profit dedicated to help kids striving to be the first in their family to attend college. Burke began volunteering as a teen, teaching tennis in inner-city Milwaukee playgrounds. In 2011 Madison Magazine named Burke one of their "People of the Year". Burke has never married and has no children. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
References
External links
- Local news report profiling Mary Burke on YouTube; accessed November 8, 2014.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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