Richard G. Burke (Imperial Chief Rabban)
Richard G. Burke of Buford, Georgia, is completing his ninth year as a member of the Boards of Directors for Shriners International and Shriners Children’s™. He was elected Imperial Chief Rabban, head of the 12-member body that helps govern the Shriners fraternity, during the Shriners 2023 Imperial Session held July 2-6 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Fraternities and Philanthropy
- Master Mason, Buford Lodge #292, March, 2003
- Yaarab Shriners, Atlanta, Georgia, 2003
- President, Gwinnett Shrine Club, 2006
- Potentate, Yaarab Shriners, 2014
- Divan Member, Yaarab Shriners, 2008–2014, honored many times for fundraising efforts
- Regional Imperial Public Relations Director, Southeast, 2009–2013
- Member, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Valley of Atlanta
- Chairman, Salaries, Personnel and Retirement, Shriners Children’s, 2019–2022
- Chairman, Shriners Children’s College Classic, 2018–2021
- Chairman, Membership Committee, 2019–2020
- Chairman, Shriners Children’s Sports Committee, 2021-2022
- Executive Committee Member, Donor Development, 2021-2022
- Executive Committee Member, Marketing & Communication, 2021-2022
Education
- Bachelor’s degree, Business, minors in Accounting, Computer Science, State University of New York at Geneseo, 1979
Professional and Personal
Burke was born in Endicott, New York, and moved to Atlanta after graduating from college. From 1979 to 1988, he worked as a systems consultant for NCR and Texas Instruments, where he specialized in accounting systems, voice recognition and artificial intelligence systems. After that, he worked as an IT consultant.
In 1992, he joined Payment Technologies Inc. as a partner and vice president of information technology. After selling their initial business in 2002, Burke and his business partners formed a successful Internet venture called Financial Operations Networks LLC. As chief information officer, Burke is responsible for online marketing, online development, search engine optimization and part of overall business strategy decisions. The remaining business channel processes millions of accounting transactions for major companies around the world.
Burke and his wife, Judy, have been married for 30 years. They enjoy spending time with their three married children and eight grandchildren, ages 16 to 23. Burke and his wife have dedicated their lives to raising awareness of Shriners International and Shriners Children’s since their granddaughter, Leah, received care for burn injuries at the Shriners Children’s location in Cincinnati in 2002.
