Sheila P. Burke, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Smithsonian Institution, announced today that she will resign her position. The Acting Secretary has asked her to remain until the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, to ensure a smooth transition. Burke joined the Smithsonian in June 2000 when Secretary Lawrence M. Small asked her to serve as Under Secretary for American Museums and National Programs. She was named to her current position in 2004.

As Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, Burke oversees the financial operation, capital projects, facilities, engineering and information technology, as well as a number of museums and offices, including the National Museum of American History and the new National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In her letter of resignation to the Smithsonian's Acting Secretary Cristián Samper, Burke said, "I have great respect for the Smithsonian, and my resignation is tendered in the belief that it is in the best interest of the Institution and the fine people who work here. I leave with mixed emotions: sadness at leaving an institution I revere; pride in the integrity, creativity and dedication of its staff; but confidence in the enduring strength of the organization."

During Burke's seven-year tenure, she oversaw the completion of several major capital projects, including the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center (2003); the National Museum of the American Indian (2004); and the Patent Office Building, home to Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery (2006). As chief operating officer, Burke improved financial systems, modernized the Institution's IT infrastructure and reorganized the Office of Human Resources. Among her programmatic accomplishments are the expansion of the Latino Center and outreach activities, such as the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and the affiliates program, which now has153 museum members worldwide.

"Sheila energetically took on many of the major challenges facing the Institution, and the Institution is stronger because of her work here," said Cristián Samper, who was named Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian following the resignation of Lawrence M. Small March 24. "Like so many others among the Regents and staff, I personally have benefited from Sheila's prodigious output, wise counsel and effective leadership."

Roger Sant, chair of the Regents' executive committee, said, "Sheila's exemplary service to the Smithsonian has moved the Institution forward on many fronts. We are all grateful for her dedication, leadership and ongoing commitment to public service."

Burke came to the Smithsonian from Harvard's John F. Kennedy Center School of Government, where she was executive dean and lecturer in public policy. Prior to that, she served as chief of staff to former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole from 1986 to 1996 and was elected to serve as secretary of the Senate in 1995. Her career on Capitol Hill began in 1977, when she became a legislative assistant to Sen. Dole and then the deputy staff director of the Senate Committee on Finance.

Burke, 56, is a native of San Francisco. She earned her master's degree in public administration from Harvard University in 1982 and her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of San Francisco in 1973.