David Burke

Deputy Superintendent

David joined Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 2024 following a 32-year career in the U.S. Navy. He works with the superintendent on all facets of the sanctuary portfolio, and is primarily charged with integrating operations, budget planning and execution, administration and staff alignment, facilities oversight, and management of agreements with numerous partner organizations.

He previously served as chief of staff at Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, and before that was chief of staff at Carrier Strike Group TWELVE. He has held staff positions as operations and plans director at the Global Mine Warfare Task Force, and served as an executive assistant on the Joint Staff (Pentagon) with portfolio responsibility spanning cyber, space, and strategic communication. These roles have provided extensive engagement with academic and research communities to develop, test, and integrate new technologies into operations. He is also a helicopter pilot with over 3,500 flight hours.

David holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master’s in global leadership from the University of San Diego, and a master’s in national security strategy from the National War College in Washington, D.C. He is married to Sue Burke, and they have been actively engaged in the Key West community since 2020.