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Welcome! My name is Nate Burke. And, like you (probably) I wear many hats.
Currently, I oversee the prevention and response department for issues of sexual assault and relationship violence at the University of Maryland. I am also a course instructor and PhD student at UMD in the College of Education. My research focuses on the school lives of Queer and Trans youth.
I also develop interactive workshops, keynotes, and training programs focused on power-based violence prevention and response; student spirituality, meaning-making, and “Big Idea” conversations; and basically all things Queer! I am certified to lead conversations using several tools and assessments as well, including: Clifton Strengths / StrengthsFinder 2.0, Enneagram, DISC, LGBTQ Safe Zone, and Bystander Intervention.
I’ve been fortunate enough 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! Past audiences have included: military personnel; corporate organizations; faith communities; nonprofit agencies; k-12 students and teachers, higher education students, faculty, and administrators; and student organizations, fraternities, sororities, and student athletes.
I currently facilitate these and other customized educational experiences for a variety of audiences through CAMPUSPEAK, the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse, and directly through this website. To book a gig or learn more about affordable options, click here. I have a great passion for teaching, learning, and facilitating meaningful conversations for teams and communities. I hope to continue growing this part of my skillset and career — So, thanks for helping me along the way! The Second Way podcast is a passion project of mine that allows me to speak with folx who mean so much to me and have meaningful stories to tell. My goal with the Second Way podcast and blog is simply to explore all the many ways people make sense of the world around them and how they seek peace, purpose and meaning in their own lives.
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Professional
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). Additionally, I work to develop customized educational experiences on a variety of related topics as well as facilitated conversations using the following assessments and tools: StrengthsFinder, DISC, MBTI, the Enneagram.
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 | Specialization: the school lives of Queer youth
- 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
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Personal
- First, let’s acknowledge my positionality in this space. Although I am a gay man who has experienced significant anti-Queer violence, I am also afforded many privileges as a white, cisgender man. My identities are often represented and centered within LGBTQ+ spaces and conversations, making me among the most visible, most privileged, and most protected within the Queer community.
- My intention in this space is not only to continuously and reflexively consider the ways these privileges shape and skew my understanding of the world but also to bring in voices unlike mine to the podcast, blog, and spotlight page so that we might better consider together what true coalitional, anti-racist peace-building can look like.
- I love asking “Big Questions” and reflecting on how each of us works to seek peace, purpose, and meaning in our lives.
- I’m a sexual assault / r*pe survivor, which informs my ongoing power-based violence prevention and response work and has taught me a lot about vulnerability and resilience. I sometimes talk about that in this space and in relevant speaking and consulting programs.
- I’m GAY! Coming out was an extremely difficult process for me – as it is for so many – and came at a great cost, losing contact with many friends and family members due to their religious understandings. I sometimes say that the gift of being gay is that it allowed me to better understand the marginalization and oppression of others and pushed me to explore new ways of seeing and being in the world.
- I consider myself very spiritual and very spirit-curious! Meaning, I love hearing people talk about their spirituality, their faith, and the ways they seek to understand life’s big questions.
- I have found great value in assessment-based coaching, using Clifton Strengths / StrengthsFinder 2.0, DISC, and Enneagram. In particular, I love facilitating interactive workshops with small groups and teams, including student groups, businesses, churches, and nonprofit agencies.
- I was born in raised in Oklahoma, lived in Ohio for graduate school, worked in Florida after that, and now work and reside in Washington, D. C. (where we still have taxation without representation; which is also a significant social justice and anti-Black issue; give us senators, America!).
- Like this website, I am a work in progress and open to feedback 🙂 Please join the Second Way community and share your own insights and recommendations as you read and listen along. Thanks for being here! -Nate
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thesecondway.blog 