Jessica Burke – Vice President of Operations – Girl Scouts of Silver Sage

Jessica Burke’s career of public service has been deeply rooted in her belief in the importance of supporting and enriching youth development through experiences that give children the opportunity to develop leadership skills for a lifetime of leadership.

“Our communities and world need strong leaders and youth of all ages can enact change large and small,” she said. “I’ve had the immense privilege of working for nonprofit organizations such as the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, James River Association, Boise Urban Garden School and the Discovery Center of Idaho, whose missions support youth discovering their world and developing the critical thinking skills they need to solve small and big problems in their communities.”

As vice president of operations for Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, Burke uses her analytical mind to be a process-oriented thinker and decision maker who is skilled at connecting ideas, people and actions to strategic goals that make positive community impact. She oversaw multi-year growth in local Girl Scout membership for Silver Sage.

In 2020, she completed her Public Administration Capstone Project, designing and developing a process map and calculator for costs associated with processing burglary charges within the judicial system for her client, the Idaho Associate of Criminal Defense Lawyers. In 2018, she collaborated with subject matter experts to develop instructional and interpretive signage for hands-on exhibits fabricated and displayed at the Discovery Center of Idaho. She also earned the 2014 Leadership Award from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service after working with agency and community organizations to design, develop and launch the Ecology School, a new residential environmental learning center in Virginia that now serves hundreds of students each year.

Her educational background and career include a Bachelor of Science in biopsychology, a Master’s in Public Administration, a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Administration and completed graduate courses in inquiry-based learning.

“Jess once told me, ‘I thrive in a position where I can connect ideas, people and actions to holistic organizational goals and strategies that have high organization and community impact,’” said Jessica Budzianowski, Talent Program manager for St. Luke’s Health System. “You can see how she’s done that through her roles as vice president of Operations at the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, education director of the Discovery Center of Idaho and several other high-impact positions. She is creating sustainable change, education and empowerment of girls and families in our local community.”

In her downtime, Burke enjoys spending time at a lake with friends and family, reading, paddling and swimming.

“I’ve been lucky to work with incredible people throughout my career,” she said. “So much of who I am today is because of the people who I have had the privilege to work with and those that have supported my growth through both successes and challenges. I owe so much to so many, and am grateful to live a life surrounded by passionate people who make a difference.”