Richard Burke

About Richard Burke

Richard Burke is the Executive Director of Western Liberty Network, a 501(c)3 organization that trains limited-government activists how to be strong citizen advocates, campaign volunteers, and candidates for local non-partisan office. Prior to that Richard was the Oregon Grassroots Director for Americans for Prosperity. Richard recently served a four-year term as an appointed commissioner on the Oregon Government Ethics Commission where he served one year as Chair. He has also served in elected office from 19••••18 in three local offices including positions in the Beaverton School District and the Tualatin Valley Water Commission (TVWD) where Richard chaired a variety of intergovernmental organizations. Richard has an extensive background in campaign management for federal, state, and local ballot measure and candidate campaigns. He has worked in the Oregon Senate and House of Representatives as a Chief of Staff. Richard also has extensive media experience, having hosted his own radio show on KVAN (Vancouver, WA) and served as a substitute host on KUIK (Hillsboro, OR). Burke was the 1998 Libertarian nominee for Oregon governor, participated in gubernatorial debates with major party candidates, has professional media experience, and has a long history of community service. RIchard is proud to be a member of the National Eagle Scout Association, and is himself a double-bronze palm Eagle Scout who is also a member of the Order of the Arrow.

Experience

1. Commissioner

   Western Liberty Network

   Dec 2018 — Present · Salem, OR, US

   Richard was nominated, confirmed and appointed to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission in 2018 and again in 2022. Richard served as Chair of the Commission in 2019 and as Vice Chair in 2018. In his first term, he was nominated by the Oregon senate minority office, confirmed by the full senate, and appointed by the governor. In his second term, Richard was nominated by the house minority office, confirmed by the full senate, and appointed by the governor. Though the commission prides itself on enforcing ethics laws in a non-partisan manner, Richard is the first Libertarian to lead the board of a state agency in Oregon.

Education

• University of Nebraska at Kearney

  Political Science and Computer Science

  1986 — 1987

• Portland State University

  Bachelor of Science

  1987 — 1989

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln

  Political Science, Education, Social Science

  1982 — 1986

Skills

• Government
• Public Speaking
• Team Building
• Networking
• Speech Writing
• Organization Building
• Volunteer Management
• Organizational Effectiveness
• Public Policy
• Organizational Design
• Management
• Policy Analysis
• Economics
• Research
• Campaign Management
• Strategic Communications
• Consulting
• Grassroots
• Politics
• Training & Development
• Political Communication
• Grassroots Organizing
• Public Relations
• Technical Writing
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Fundraising
• Training
• Team Leadership
• Strategic Planning
• Coalitions
• Political Consulting
• Political Campaigns
• State Government
• Legislative Relations