Christopher Burke

Dr. Christopher Burke is the founder and CEO of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. (CBBEL).  For the past 38 years, CBBEL has provided full-service regional consulting engineering and surveying services; specializing in water resources, stormwater management, civil, municipal, transportation, mechanical, structural, construction, traffic, and environmental resources.

Dr. Burke is an author of technical materials related to urban drainage, hydraulics, and hydrology.  Since 2002 he has served as a Professor of Practice at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), former Chair of the Morton Arboretum, current Chair of the Conservation Foundation, and current Chair of the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation.  He also serves on the Board of The Wetlands Initiative, Western Society of Engineers, the Metropolitan Planning Council and serves on various advisory Boards at Purdue University and UIC. For the last 18 years he has served as the Chair of the Chicagoland Engineers Week Committee.

He has a BSCE, MSCE, and PhD and Honorary Doctorate in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.  He also has an honorary doctorate from the University of Illinois.  He has received both the Young and Old Civil Engineer of the Year awards from the Illinois Section-ASCE, the analogous Edmund Friedman Award as well as the Distinguished Member Award from ASCE National, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Distinguished Engineer Alumni Award recognition from the Purdue University Engineering Alumni Association, IAFSM Lifetime Achievement Award, APWA Top Ten Award, the Ray K. Linsley Award from the American Institute of Hydrology, and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Construction.

Burke and his wife Susan live in Naperville and have four children and eight grandchildren.