Welcome! My name is Nate Burke. And I wear many hats. I oversee the free and confidential prevention and response unit for issues of sexual and relationship violence at the University of Maryland, where I am also a course instructor and PhD student in the College of Education.
I also develop interactive workshops, keynotes, and training programs focused on community building, personal resilience and violence prevention. I facilitate these educational experiences for a variety of audiences through CAMPUSPEAK, the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse, and directly through this website, The Second Way Project. I’ve been fortunate to do this work (and sneak in a few vacays!) in 48 U.S. states, Guam, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and nine other countries! Check out my travel blog post, too. I really hope you will join me in co-creating whatever this personal passion project may become!
Professional
ANTI-VIOLENCE, PERSONAL RESILIENCE, AND COMMUNITY BUILDING
Educator | Administrator | Preventionist
My professional speaking and training experience centers on prevention and response strategies for issues of power-based violence (sexual assault, relationship violence, workplace harassment, and hazing) as well as self-directed violence (depression, suicide, and crisis response). Past audiences have included: military personnel; corporate organizations; faith communities; nonprofit agencies; k-12 students and teachers; higher education students, faculty, and administrators; and college student organizations, student athletes, fraternities, and sororities.
My academic doctoral research interests focus on the experiences of gender and sexual minority adolescents (i.e., LGBTQ+ youth) in the US public education system.
- PhD Student | University of Maryland | Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (Education Policy); 2018 – Present
- MA | Bowling Green State University | Higher Education and Student Affairs (College Student Development); 2011
- BA | University of Central Oklahoma | Strategic Organizational Communication, Psychology; 2009
- Facilitator Certifications: Clifton Strengths / StrengthsFinder 2.0, Enneagram, DISC, LGBTQ Safe Zone, Bystander Intervention
Personal
- I love asking Big Questions and reflecting on how we each work to seek peace, purpose, and meaning in our lives.
- I’m a sexual assault / rape survivor, which has informed my public advocacy work and is something I sometimes write about here.
- I’m a gay man, which significantly informs my views on religion, spirituality, and life in general.
- I have found great value in assessment-based coaching, using Clifton Strengths / StrengthsFinder 2.0, DISC, and Enneagram.
- I grew up in Oklahoma, lived in Ohio and Florida for school and work, and now reside in Washington, D. C.
- I’m civically engaged, because I think our beliefs and values require action and advocacy.
- I’m a spiritual person, but not particularly religious — which is probably also another way of saying I am a millennial.
- My educational and professional backgrounds have centered on teaching and learning, public speaking, and community building.
- Like this website, I am a work in progress and open to feedback 🙂
