Sheila Burke, MPA, BSN, FAAN, serves as a senior public policy advisor and chair of the Government Relations Policy Group at the law firm of Baker Donelson, in Washington D.C. As chair, she brings a deep knowledge of federal policy and programs, drawn from her distinguished career in the private and public sectors. 

Ms. Burke served for 19 years on Capitol Hill.  Early in her career, she was a member of the staff of the Senate Finance Committee, where she ultimately became deputy staff director, responsible for legislation relating to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health programs. She went on to serve as deputy chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, later serving as his chief of staff.   

Ms. Burke served as the deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex, where she oversaw operations of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and nine research facilities in the U.S. and abroad.  

Ms. Burke was a faculty member at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where she taught health policy from 1996 to 2024, and was executive dean from 1996 to 2000.  

Ms. Burke is currently a senior advisor to the Bipartisan Policy Center. She is also a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration as well as the American Academy of Nursing. She serves on several boards, including the Commonwealth Fund, Abt Global, Ascension, and Chubb Limited.  

Ms. Burke is a recipient of the National Academy of Medicine’s David Rall Award, the Smithsonian Institution Secretary’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Service Award, and in 2023, the Daisy Foundation’s HealthImpact DAISY Nurse Leader Award.  She was also recognized in 2023 in Washingtonian Magazine as one of “The 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy.”