William Arthur Burke is an accomplished business and political leader in
Southern California. He is best known as the founder and President of the City
of Los Angeles Marathon. However, long before the Marathon, Dr. Burke gained a
diverse blend of professional experience in several fields.
In 1972, Dr. Burke founded and for two years presided over the American Health
Care Delivery Corporation. From the health care profession, Dr. Burke’s career
interests turned to the gold mining industry. He accepted the Chairman of the
Board at Genesis International, a Los Angeles-based real estate and mining
development holding company. Then from 1981-84 he supervised the planning and
construction of mining concessions in Liberia, West Africa for the World Mining
Development.
Then in 1984, Dr. Burke was appointed Commissioner of Tennis for the Summer
Olympic Games in the City of Los Angeles. It was the spirit of civic pride and
unity demonstrated by the host city that first inspired Dr. Burke to think of
ways to perpetuate this unique experience. The result was the first City of Los
Angeles Marathon held in 1986. The Marathon, now in its twenty-fourth year, is the
third largest in the world.
The success of the Marathon, spurred Dr. Burke to try his hand at another kind
of sporting event: car racing. In 1997, the Los Angeles Vintage Grand Prix
debuted on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles. It was the largest vintage
automobile street race ever held. It included the Ferrari Concours d’Elegance
– a display of historical and unique Ferrari vehicles valued at fifty million
dollars. However, in 1998 the street race captured the interest of NASCAR and
soon evolved into the Ford L.A. Street Race. In its fourth year, the Street Race
included multiple types of racing, including an electric truck race, Indy car
race, NASCAR race, and Pro-Porsche division race.
In the political arena, Dr. Burke served as the Consul General to the Republic
of Mali for over fifteen years. He has served two terms as the President of both
the State of California Fish and Game Commission and the Wildlife Conservation
Board. Since 1993, Dr. Burke has served on the Board of the South Coast Air
Quality Management District (AQMD) as the representative of the Speaker of the
Assembly. AQMD is the government agency that regulates air quality for the
four-county region of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside.
Since his initial appointment to AQMD, Dr. Burke has been elected by his peers
to serve as both Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Board. In April 2000,
Governor Gray Davis appointed Dr. Burke to serve as a Board Member for the State
of California Air Resources Board. In October 2000, Mayor Richard J.
Riordan appointed Dr. Burke to the Fire Commission of the City of Los Angeles.
In 2002, he was appointed to serve on the California Coastal Commission.
Dr. Burke holds multiple degrees: a Bachelor of Science from Miami University, a
Doctorate of Education from the University of Massachusetts, and two other
Honorary Doctorate Degrees of Law from Lane College and Mount Ida College. Among
the numerous other awards and distinctions Dr. Burke has received the
Meritorious Service Award from the City of Los Angeles, the First Annual Living
Legends Award, the Humanitarian Award from the Mid-City Chamber of Commerce, and
the Green Power Foundation’s Man of the Year Award.
Dr. Burke is married to Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke.
They live in the Los Angeles area and have two daughters, Christine and Autumn.
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