Member in the Spotlight: JOHN BURKE

John Burke University of Houston Victoria burkej@uhv.edu | 361-485-4550

Background into the field of Facility Management
I started my Facilities Services career in the custodial services at a gas station in high school. Then I enlisted in the United States Air Force where I was part of Civil Engineering specializing in HVAC. From there I attended Coastal Bend Community College where I received an Associates of Science in Agriculture. Then on to Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture Teaching option. During this time I worked for Texas A&M Research and Experiment Stations doing building and grounds maintenance along with livestock management. Then hiring on with the University of Houston Victoria as an entry level maintenance technician and working my way up to Director, giving me just over 30 years in the Facilities Services field.

How has TAPPA contributed to your career?
The University of Houston Victoria is located in a smaller community (a population less than 100,000) and not having but a handful of vendors and contractors, TAPPA has helped me find new and innovative ways to take care of items in our ever changing world of facilities. Along with this, the TAPPA family has helped me at times of need. During natural disasters and a structural fire, I reached out to the TAPPA family for suggestions and guidance. Never have I been let down. The networking and sharing experiences with others in TAPPA has been a large role in my career, but the biggest part that has helped me is the positive attitudes and motivation towards everyone in the TAPPA organization.

Personal Tidbit
My hobbies are working on my small farm where I raise cattle, hogs, and chickens. With the occasional rabbits, quail, or any other animal that my family brings home. Then helping coach my son’s baseball teams and my daughter’s tee-ball team. Last would be woodworking, from cutting boards to livestock barns I just enjoy doing work that can be seen for years to come.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
The thing I enjoy most about my job is the ever changing environment. Very seldom has one day gone the same as the day before. Next would be the learning opportunities that present themselves daily. The other thing is everything we do in Facilities Services transfers to our homes and communities after hours to help others.