President Obama appoints Yvonne B. Burke

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke

President Barack Obama recently announced the appointments of a group of men and women – including former supervisor Yvonne B. Burke – to key administration posts saying, “These fine public servants bring both a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles.  Our nation will be well served by these men and women, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

Burke has an impressive resume as a pioneer in law and politics in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Washington D.C.  She is a graduate of USC School of Law, a former Assembly-woman (the first Black woman in the Assembly); Congresswoman (the first Black woman from California), and County Supervisor (the first Black person).  In each of those positions, she blazed a trail for others to follow.  Now President Obama has nominated former to the AMTRAK board of directors, according to the White House.

That position will require Senate confirmation after which Burke will become a member of the seven-member board that oversees AMTRAK, the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Burke retired from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2008 after serving16 years and she is now a member of the Office of Congressional Ethics having been appointed by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and she is also on the California Transportation Commission.

She now awaits Senate confirmation.

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